Carlos Gomez designated for assignment by Astros
The Carlos Gomez era with the Houston Astros has reached its end. The 30-year-old former All-Star has been designated for assignment by the club, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
The move comes somewhat as a shock. Gomez hasn’t played particularly well this season, hitting just .210/.272/.322 over 323 plate appearances, but was an All-Star as recently as 2014.
Since then, Gomez has experienced a precipitous decline, some of which can be blamed on a hip injury. The outfielder hit a slightly disappointing .262/.328/.423 with the Milwaukee Brewers prior to last season’s trade deadline, but still drew attention from both contending clubs, like the Astros and the New York Mets.
On July 29, the Mets and Brewers appeared to have a deal in place that would have sent Gomez to New York. A few hours later, it was revealed the trade fell through due to the Mets’ concerns over Gomez’s hip.
Days later, he was sent to the Astros for four players. Gomez failed to perform with his new club, hitting just .242/.288/.383 as the Astros battled their way into the postseason.
In his two seasons with the Astros, Gomez has hit just .221/.277/.342, with nine home runs, over 486 plate appearances. He acknowledged Wednesday that he was frustrated with his performance.
Gomez to https://t.co/mDPUQE6013: “It’s not a secret that I’m not doing my job and I’m really disappointed in myself.” More to come.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 10, 2016
With the move, the Astros have 10 days to trade or release Gomez. He could also accept a minor-league assignment, though that doesn’t seem likely given Gomez’s track record in the majors.
Complicating matters is the fact that Gomez is in the final year of his contract. He’s set to be a free-agent at the end of the season, and probably wants to do everything he can in the next two months to prove he can still play in the big leagues.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
