Yankees place reliever Jake Cousins on IL, call up rookie Clayton Beeter

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The New York Yankees shut down reliever Jake Cousins for the rest of the regular season, placing him on the injured list Sunday with a right pectoral strain and calling up rookie Clayton Beeter to take his spot.

Cousins left Thursday’s game at Seattle with pectoral tightness. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Cousins could begin throwing off a mound next week and return for the playoffs, but he is scheduled to see team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad on Monday.

The 30-year-old right-hander, one of the Yankees' most effective relievers this season, had a 2.37 ERA in 37 games and recorded a career-high 53 strikeouts. He did not allow an earned run in 29 of his 37 appearances, and he gave up five hits to the last 61 batters he faced.

Beeter is 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA over 39 innings with Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season. The 25-year-old made his major league debut earlier this season, pitching a scoreless inning for the Yankees in March. He joined the team in Oakland, where the Yankees are wrapping up a three-game series on Sunday.

Beeter missed a chunk of time with a shoulder injury, but he has not allowed a run in five outings in seven innings in the minors since coming off the injured list earlier this month.

Boone said Beeter has been “lights out” over his last few outings and that the rookie has “really good stuff.”

“He can be a factor,” Boone said.

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Eric He, The Associated Press