Shelton is sold on what Yoendrys Gomez has become in Minnesota's bullpen.
Minnesota Twins reliever Yoendrys Gomez has bounced around the league for the better part of two seasons, pitching for five different organizations since 2023.
The 26-year-old right-hander was traded to Minnesota from the Tampa Bay Rays on May 6 for cash considerations after posting a 6.23 ERA in nine appearances to start the year in Tampa Bay.
What has happened since that move has been one of the more surprising stories of the Twins' season, and manager Derek Shelton recently made it clear that the coaching staff saw this turnaround coming before anyone else did.
"I think he's someone we identified in Spring Training. We saw him pitch for the Rays against us a couple of times, and he threw the ball well," Shelton said of Gomez. "Then, he came into our organization and our pitching staff to make a couple of modifications, and he's throwing strikes."
The Numbers Back It Up
Those modifications have clearly paid off.
Through 21 games with Minnesota, Gomez has posted a 1.45 ERA with 22 strikeouts across 18.2 innings while recording six saves and allowing zero home runs.
His 0.964 WHIP and 29.3 percent strikeout rate since joining the Twins tell the story of a pitcher who is not just getting by in a new role but actively thriving in it.
The contrast between his two stops in 2026 is hard to ignore.
Gomez struggled to a 6.23 ERA and 1.673 WHIP across 17.1 innings with the Rays, and Tampa Bay designated him for assignment on May 2.
Minnesota's pitching staff made a few tweaks after the trade, and the results have been night and day.
Gomez has gone from a guy getting cut loose to someone pitching in the highest-leverage spots on the roster.
The Closer Minnesota Was Missing
The Twins entered the season without a set closer after trading away five key relievers at last summer's deadline, and the bullpen ran as a committee for most of the first two months.
Save chances were split between Cole Sands, Taylor Rogers and Justin Topa, but none of them did enough to lock down the ninth inning on a full-time basis.
Gomez has answered that question.
His six saves with Minnesota have come in high-leverage situations, and his ability to close out games has given the bullpen a structure it did not have early on.
He has earned the trust of the coaching staff in a short window of time, and based on Shelton's comments, the organization believes the changes they made with him are built to last.
The Twins sit at 37-41 and still have work to do if they want to climb back into the AL Central race behind the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox.
Whether Minnesota can make a real push in the second half depends on a lot of pieces, but having a reliable closer is one part of the puzzle that finally feels settled. For a pitcher who was on waivers less than two months ago, Gomez has quickly become one of the most important arms on this roster.
