Cleveland Indians Place Yan Gomes on DL; Roberto Perez to be Activated

Per multiple sources, the Cleveland Indians have placed catcher Yan Gomes on the 15-day disabled list after he suffered a separated shoulder in Sunday’s win over the Minnesota Twins. Sources also indicate the Indians plan to activate catcher Roberto Perez from the 60-day disabled list to take his spot on the roster. 

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Gomes has had a season to forget thus far and Sunday’s injury may have been the final nail in the coffin. While there’s been no official word on how long he’ll be out, there’s been speculation that his season could be over due to the severity of the injury. Gomes was batting a paltry .165 on the season with a .198 OBP and .512 OPS. He had just two hits in the entire month of July going 2 for 37. Even with his typically strong defense, Gomes posted a -0.6 fWAR which was the second-worst among all big league catchers this season (minimum 100 plate appearances), besting only A.J. Pierzynski of the Atlanta Braves (-1.0).

Gomes was batting a paltry .165 on the season with a .198 OBP and .512 OPS. He had just two hits in the entire month of July going 2 for 37. Even with his typically strong defense, Gomes posted a -0.6 fWAR which was the second-worst among all big league catchers this season (minimum 100 plate appearances), besting only A.J. Pierzynski of the Atlanta Braves (-1.0). In his previous three seasons, Gomes posted an 8.7 fWAR, which was fifth-best in all of baseball.

Roberto Perez will be coming into a situation that’s seen the Indians catcher hit a league-worst .167 on the season. Perez was originally the backup to Gomes when the season began but appeared in just four games before fracturing his thumb on a play at the plate. The injury required surgery and he’s been on the disabled list since. He’s hit well on his rehab assignment and despite not recording a hit in his eight big league at-bats this season had a .400 OBP thanks to six walks.

Perez is coming off a solid rookie campaign in 2015. Despite hitting just .228 he posted a .348 OBP and .751 OPS thanks to a 14.6% walk rate. He also hit seven home runs in just 184 at-bats and posted a 1.7 fWAR. He’s an above average catcher with an arm as good as Gomes’s. The real question is how good can Perez be after missing over two months? Can he come right in and be an everyday starter or will Chris Gimenez and his .502 OPS have to play more than one would like?

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Unfortunately, the only way to know the answer to the above questions is to see Perez play.  He flew out yesterday after being scratched from his scheduled start with the Columbus Clippers. the Indians have not officially announced the move but given the dearth of catching depth, it’s really the only option for the Indians at this time. Perez will need to be added back to the 40-man roster since he’s on the 60-day disabled list but the Tribe’s roster is currently at only 39 so it’s a simple paper move.

Despite his struggles, hopefully, Gomes’s season is not over. He may not have been playing well but he’s still a hell of a talent that is better than what he’s shown.