Out of Nowhere, Twins Have Found the Closer They Desperately Needed

Yoendrys Gomez has been a revelation for Minnesota's bullpen since he was acquired for essentially nothing in early May.

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

Shopping for bullpen help in the clearance aisle, as the Twins have done this season, doesn't often work. Players who get cut by their previous team or traded away for very little tend to not be very good, even if a new coaching staff tries to make some tweaks. The results usually look like Luis Garcia (10.38 ERA in 9 Twins appearances before getting cut) or Justin Lawrence (also a 10.38 ERA in his first 5 games for Minnesota).

But every once in a while, you can find a diamond in the rough. The Twins appear to have done just that with 26-year-old Yoendrys Gomez, who they picked up from the Rays for cash considerations in early May after he was designated for assignment by Tampa Bay.

Gomez recorded a four-out save in Monday's 4-2 Twins win over the Rangers. He entered with the tying run up in the eighth inning and induced a flyout, then went 1-2-3 in the ninth with two weak groundouts and a strikeout of Jake Burger. It was his sixth save with the Twins, who didn't have a set closer until Gomez's emergence this month. Four of those saves have come in June.

It makes sense that Derek Shelton has scrapped the closer-by-committee approach and turned to Gomez as his guy in the ninth inning. He's earned that with his results. In 20 games since debuting with the Twins on May 7, Gomez has thrown 17.2 innings and allowed just 3 earned runs (1.53 ERA) on 11 hits and 7 walks. He has 21 strikeouts and a 2.25 FIP.

Yoendrys Gomez | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

It's obviously very early, and there's no guarantee that Gomez will continue this success. But when you watch him pitch, it doesn't feel like a fluke. He's got a fastball that sits at around 96 miles per hour, a cutter that may be his best weapon, and a solid sweeper. He generates a lot of extension off of the mound with his 6'3" frame. Since joining the Twins, he has missed bats at a very high level.

It's been a remarkable journey for Gomez to get to this point. Ten years ago, as a 16-year-old in Venezuela, he signed a contract with the Yankees. He then slowly worked his way up New York's minor league system as a starter prospect, eventually making his MLB debut as a reliever in 2023. After walking 16 batters in 23.1 innings with the Yankees over three seasons, he was cut last April and landed with the Dodgers. Gomez pitched in just three games for LA before being cut again, this time being claimed by the White Sox on waivers.

Chicago tried Gomez out as a starter last August and September, without great results, then traded him to the Rays in November. And after recording a 6.23 ERA in nine games with the Rays this spring, the Twins became his fifth team in just over a calendar year.

That kind of track record would seem to suggest that Gomez's success in Minnesota may not last. And maybe it won't. But maybe this is a guy who has always been talented and just needed to find the right fit, the right opportunity, and the right coaching staff. Gomez is 26 years old and may finally be tapping into his latent potential. He's not a 39-year-old finished product like Garcia was.

Moving forward, there's no question who the Twins' closer is. That job belongs to Gomez for as long as the results continue. And that's a big development for the Twins, who went through the first two months of this season without any real idea who would be getting the ball in the ninth inning of close games.