White Sox Claim Pitcher Off Waivers From Dodgers

The callup of Tim Elko understandably drew the headlines for the White Sox yesterday, but the team made another roster move by claiming right-handed pitcher Yoendrys Gómez off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Outfielder Greg Jones was released to make room for Gómez on the 40-man roster, per a team announcement.

Gómez's Pitcher Profile

Gómez, 25, is a longtime former prospect in the Yankees system but has made just 15 MLB appearances because of several injuries throughout his minor league career, including undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021. Gómez has been uninspiring to this point in the big leagues, pitching to just a 4.88 ERA and 1.63 WHIP over 27.2 innings. 

The White Sox will be Gómez’s third team this season alone. He started the season with the Yankees and pitched six games for them before being designated for assignment in late April. The Dodgers claimed him off waivers shortly after and subsequently DFAed him again after three appearances earlier this week. Gómez has a 6.28 ERA over nine appearances between the Yankees and Dodgers in 2025.

Worthwhile Flier For White Sox

Despite his rocky MLB career thus far, Gómez is an intriguing flier for a rebuilding White Sox team. Not only did he consistently appear on top prospect lists in the Yankees organization over the last few years, but he performed well at the Triple-A level last season. In 83.1 innings over 23 games with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in the Yankees organization in 2024, Gómez pitched to a respectable 3.67 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 10.0 K/9. He features a four-pitch mix of a four-seam fastball, sweeper, curveball, and changeup and has graded out nicely in extension in a small MLB sample. He has also averaged over a strikeout per inning throughout his minor league career.

Both the Yankees and Dodgers are looking to win right now and don’t have time to set aside innings at the major league level for a young pitcher trying to figure things out. The White Sox situation is entirely different. They lack pitching depth and could use as many interesting arms as possible to get them through the season. Shane Smith and Mike Vasil are recent examples of pitchers from other organizations whom the White Sox identified and have turned into productive pitchers. Perhaps Gómez could follow a similar path. At just 25 years old with experience as both a starter and reliever, he is a worthwhile gamble for the White Sox.

White Sox Roster Churning Continues

It is only the beginning of May and yet 40 different players have already appeared in a game for the White Sox this season. Chris Getz and the rest of the front office have made it abundantly clear that they will churn the roster as much as possible in an attempt to find contributors. Yoendrys Gómez is the newest player in the mix. It will likely only be a matter of time before he gets the opportunity to show what he can do on the South Side.