Ex-Dodger Victor Gonzalez Cut By Yankees, Hits Free Agency

Maren Angus-Coombs | Sep 16, 2024

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees have released Victor Gonzalez from his minor-league deal, according to an announcement from the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Gonzalez was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers along with Jorbit Vivas in December in exchange for infielder Trey Sweeney. However, he was designated for assignment in June after recording a 3.86 earned run average and 11 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.

The Yankees have released LHP Victor Gonzalez. He'd been with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) September 15, 2024

After being designated for assignment, the lefty accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A, where he posted a 4.50 ERA in 22 innings. He was placed on the development list on Saturday — a list created in 2022 to allow teams to manage players' game appearances without occupying a roster spot — and was eventually released on Sunday.

The 28-year-old left-hander debuted professionally with the Dodgers in 2013 but didn't reach the majors until the COVID-shortened 2020 season. He performed exceptionally well that year, posting a 1.33 ERA and a 1.67 FIP in 20.1 innings over 15 games. He had a 28.8 percent strikeout rate.

Gonzalez's strong performance out of the bullpen, including a 2.70 ERA during the Dodgers' World Series run, earned him a spot for the 2021 season. Although his first full 162-game season did not match his rookie year’s success, he still performed reliably with a 3.57 ERA and a 4.27 FIP in 44 games with Los Angeles.

In 2022, Gonzalez's bid to replicate his previous success was thwarted by an elbow debridement surgery, causing him to miss the entire MLB season.

He returned in 2023 with the Dodgers but had a somewhat mixed performance, recording a 4.01 ERA in 33.2 innings.

The underwhelming season led to him being surpassed on the team’s depth chart by Alex Vesia, allowing the Dodgers to trade Gonzalez in the offseason.

As for the other two players involved in the offseason trade, Vivas didn’t see any MLB action during his brief stint this year. He has batted .231/.356/.355 with seven home runs, 44 runs batted in, and 19 stolen bases in 94 games across three levels, while playing second and third base.

Sweeney, the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2021, batted .255 in 96 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City before being traded to Detroit for Jack Flaherty at the deadline. Since then, he has made his MLB debut and become the Tigers’ everyday shortstop. As of Sunday, he was hitting .217/.270/.420 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 24 games.