Beeks, who is competing for a bullpen spot, recorded four strikeouts over 3.1 innings and 50 pitches in a simulated game Saturday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. "His velocity looks awesome," manager Kevin Cash said of Beeks. "His stuff, he's worked really, really hard. I don't think we'll go much past the four-inning mark with him unless there was an immediate, urgent need. With the stuff that he's showing, he's going to help us a lot."
Cash's comments certainly imply Beeks is on track to make the Opening Day roster, and it isn't surprising by any stretch for a number of reasons. The southpaw demonstrated his value last season by making three starts among his 33 appearances and fashioning a 6-3 record. Beeks did exhibit some control issues with a 3.5 BB/9, but he demonstrated sharp location while pitching to a 1.93 ERA over 9.1 innings during Grapefruit League play this spring. Beeks ability to cover multiple innings will be particularly valuable in a season as unique as 2020, especially with Yonny Chirinos and Brendan McKay both still out of summer camp for undisclosed reasons and consequently looking uncertain to be available for the start of the regular season.