Rays Have To Regret Cutting Relief Pitcher Thriving With Twins

A former Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher is dominating with the Minnesota Twins.

Jun 14, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Yoendrys Gomez (94) and catcher Victor Caratini (37) celebrate the win over the St. Louis Cardinals after the game at Target Field. | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays have a few areas on their roster that need to be upgraded ahead of the MLB trade deadline, but arguably none more so than their bullpen.

That group has been taxed at points this year, with an ever-changing starting rotation not helping the cause. Players who were expected to fill high-leverage roles late in games, such as Griffin Jax and Garrett Cleavinger, have either had role changes or been ineffective.

Bryan Baker has excelled as the team’s closer, and Kevin Kelly has been excellent as well. Outside of those two, production has been hit or miss with virtually the rest of the bullpen, which makes it a major area of need ahead of the trade deadline.

It also doesn’t help that one of the players the Rays traded, after being designated for assignment, Yoendrys Gomez, has found his rhythm with the Minnesota Twins.

Rays have to regret moving on from Yoendrys Gomez

Jun 15, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Yoendrys Gomez (94) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the game at Globe Life Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Known for their ability to get the most out of pitchers and transform their game, Gomez was one player Tampa Bay didn’t figure out. He struggled out of the gate in the 2026 campaign, making nine appearances with 17.1 innings pitched.

An ugly 6.23 ERA was produced with only 13 strikeouts, with a 7.25 FIP. He had a -0.3 bWAR, but something has clicked since he landed with the Twins.

Gomez quickly ascended to a high-leverage role in Minnesota as their closer and has thrived. He has registered six saves with the club and has made 20 appearances overall, throwing 17.2 innings.

An adjustment to his pitch mix has led to stellar results. Gomez has a 1.53 ERA, a 290 ERA+ and 2.24 FIP with 21 strikeouts. He has already produced 0.8 bWAR, blowing away the production he provided the Rays with.

the yoendrys gomez trade has been a solid win for the twins ops, coaching and science departments.

one adjustment was to his posture so his shoulders stay in line with the plate.

this has improved command/velo… pic.twitter.com/0D2zIbcaEJ

— parker hageman (@HagemanParker) June 17, 2026

Only 26 years old, he could be a fixture in the Twins’ bullpen for years to come. Normally, a story like that is one that Tampa Bay is on the positive end of, getting something out of a relief pitcher who was cast aside.

Unfortunately, they are on the wrong end of it this time around and are going to be on the lookout for some bullpen help in the coming weeks.

The Rays front office cannot allow bullpen woes to be what unravels what started as such an excellent season. It isn’t the only area of weakness on the team, and they have the farm system to make multiple trades to solidify the team for the stretch run.