Young Arm Yankees DFA’d Already Thriving for Dodgers

The Dodgers claimed him off waivers and immediately put him to work. Gomez delivered three scoreless innings against the Pirates on Sunday, allowing just four hits, striking out four, and earning his first season save in a 5-1 Dodgers victory.

While Gomez isn’t expected to be a traditional closer in Los Angeles, his early work has been encouraging. Across his last six innings, in appearances with both the Yankees and Dodgers, Gomez has allowed just one earned run. He now carries a 2.08 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP for the season, with 13 strikeouts over 8.2 innings.

The decision to cut ties with Gomez for the Yankees was more about roster math than performance. After a stretch short starts and heavy bullpen usage, they needed a fresh arm. They liked what they saw in Matzek this spring and when he had finished rehabbing an oblique issue, they were ready to have his experienced left-handed arm in the bullpen.

. But losing a young arm showing flashes of major league success — especially one already stretched to three-inning outings is a risk, and it didn’t take long for the Dodgers to capitalize..

Gomez, who debuted with the Yankees late last season, always had an intriguing profile: a fastball that can touch the mid-90s, a sharp slider, and developing command. Injuries slowed his early development, but his pure stuff made him an interesting depth piece the Yankees had to expose to waivers once their bullpen crunch hit.

Now, the Yankees will have to hope their bet on veteran stability over youthful upside doesn’t come back to haunt them later in the season.