Yankees Make Announcement on Former Top Prospect

The New York Yankees optioned right-hander Brendan Beck to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday, one day after recalling him to fill a roster spot created by Ryan Weathers’ placement on the injured list.

Beck did not appear in a game during the brief stay. The club is expected to replace him with veteran reliever Justin Topa.

The 27-year-old’s latest shuttle trip is familiar. A 2021 second-round pick out of Stanford and a former highly-touted prospect, Beck has been viewed as organizational rotation depth rather than a locked-in big-league starter.

His major-league line this season is short and rough: two appearances (one start), 0-1, a 9.45 ERA, four strikeouts and five walks over 6 2/3 innings, with four home runs allowed.

That major-league sample sits in contrast to his work at Triple-A. Beck has been one of the RailRiders’ most reliable starters in 2026, going 9-2 with a 2.75 ERA, 133 strikeouts, and a 1.05 WHIP across 121 innings in 22 starts.

He has shown the command that first made him a compelling prospect: a soft-tossing right-hander who lives off location more than velocity. Earlier this summer he threw the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter and earned International League Pitcher of the Week honors.

Injuries have slowed the timeline. Beck needed Tommy John surgery not long after the draft and missed all of 2024 after another elbow procedure. He returned in 2025 and posted a strong season between Double-A and Triple-A.

This year, has been his first on the 40-man roster, so the Yankees still have option years available. He also pitched for Great Britain in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

The latest recall came Sunday when Weathers went on the 15-day IL with a left forearm flexor strain. Beck was added as extra pitching insurance rather than an immediate starter.

After he sat unused, the Yankees chose a different look for the bullpen and sent him back down before a series against Houston.

It is the third time this season he has been optioned after a call-up (May after his debut in long relief, July after a spot start against Minnesota in which he allowed five runs and three homers in 3 2/3 innings).

For now, Beck remains useful depth. When a starter next hits the injured list or the rotation needs a spot start, he is likely to get another look.

Until then, the former top pick will keep working in Triple-A, where the results have been far kinder than they have been in the Bronx.