Twins Can't Rely on Yoendrys Gomez as High-Leverage Reliever Anymore

Minnesota Twins reliever Yoendrys Gomez closed out 21 games for the team this past season, but troubling underlying metrics lead to the fact that he could be due for some regression.

Yoendrys Gomez leaves the game against the Cleveland Guardians in the ninth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Prior to landing with the Minnesota Twins earlier this year, righty reliever Yoendrys Gomez had already logged time with four different organizations since making his major league debut during the 2023 season.

He wasn’t able to find a consistent role during his time with the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, or Tampa Bay Rays, but once the Twins traded for him back in May, his performance turned upside-down, converting 21 of his 23 save opportunities.

Gomez opened up his 2026 campaign with Tampa Bay, after the Rays had acquired him over the offseason, along with right-hander Steven Wilson from the Chicago White Sox, in exchange for outfielder Everson Pereira and infielder Tanner Murray.

However, Gomez struggled mightily across his nine games with the Rays, pitching to a 6.23 ERA and 1.67 WHIP, largely as result of him issuing a ton of walks while being prone to the home run. A particular trend that has continued to hurt Gomez.

Once he joined the Twins in May, after being acquired for cash considerations, he pitched to a much-better 3.62 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 49.2 innings of work, spanning 56 games.

It was Gomez’ best stretch of his career, being worth 1 bWAR while constantly finding himself in high-leverage situations when the games mattered most.

That said, even though Gomez technically excelled during his time in Minnesota, his full-season underlying metrics still were not good, raising the question if he’ll be able to be relied upon in high-leverage situations next year.

Gomez’s Troubling Season Metrics Point Towards Regression

Yoendrys Gomez throws to the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Diving into Gomez’ 2026 season stats, including both his time with the Rays and Twins, he had a disturbing 5.51 xERA and 4.40 FIP. The main reason for this is as a result of Gomez issuing walks at a concerning 13.1% rate, ranking in the 5th percentile.

He also proved to be prone to getting hit pretty hard. Opponents were able to maintain a 43.7% hard-hit rate against Gomez, putting him in the 10th percentile, while also managing barrels at a 8.4% clip, ranking Gomez in the 33rd percentile.

Even more troubling, he allowed large quantities of batted-balls in the air, only generating ground balls at a very low 27.4% rate, ranking in just the 1st percentile. It’s not a great recipe for success when a pitcher gives up a lot of hard-contact with a majority of those batted-balls being in the air.

It’s only a matter of time before what were previously outs, start to find the gaps and land for hits or carry out of the ballpark completely.

That brings us to the main topic of today’s story, Gomez shouldn’t be counted on as a high-leverage reliever in 2027.

While he can certainly still be slotted into the back end of the bullpen next year, the Twins front office shouldn’t approach this offseason thinking that he’ll be able to replicate his 2026 production.

The Twins already could use some bullpen reinforcements this winter, with their relief staff as a whole ranking 26th in ERA and 28th in WHIP this past season, but further adding Gomez’ 2026 struggles to the mix, makes that case even stronger.