The Rockies have placed scuffling starting pitcher Austin Gomber on outright waivers, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Gomber has not been designated for assignment and remains with the Rockies while the waiver process is pending. Outright waivers are irrevocable, so he’d change teams within the next 48 hours if another team places a claim.
That said, it’s frankly difficult to imagine another club picking Gomber up. A claiming team would pay the approximate $1.33MM remaining on the lefty-hander’s $6.35MM salary. Gomber is an impending free agent, so it’d make no sense for a non-contending club to do that. Contenders would have a difficult time finding a roster spot for a pitcher who has been shelled for a 7.49 earned run average in 57 2/3 innings.
Gomber missed the first two and a half months battling shoulder discomfort. He has been in Warren Schaeffer’s rotation since June 15 but hasn’t managed a single quality start in 12 appearances. Gomber did get through five innings while allowing two or fewer runs in three of his first four appearances. Opponents have tagged him for 36 earned runs across 38 innings during his past eight times out.
The 31-year-old Gomber has never thrown hard. His fastball sat in the 91-92 MPH range earlier in his career but is down to 89-90 this season. It’s possible that’s related to the shoulder discomfort, but it surely contributes to career-worst strikeout and home run rates. Nevertheless, there’s no real harm for the Rox in putting Gomber on waivers. If he clears, they can keep him on the roster. They could also decide to simply release him rather than waiting for him to hit the market in two months.