Guardians Option Peterson, Gómez to Triple-A Columbus; Club Clarifies Depth

The Cleveland Guardians optioned right-handers Austin Peterson and Yorman Gómez to Triple-A Columbus, with records showing the moves to the Columbus Clippers and a discrepancy in transaction timestamps - one record lists March 4 while the league transaction feed lists March 6 - as the club trims camp with Opening Day approaching. The options were filed among a flurry of early March assignments and options as the roster settled for the season.

Both Peterson and Gómez remain on the club’s 40-man roster after being among four prospects added to the protected list this week alongside infielder Angel Genao and outfielder Kahlil Watson, a change that filled Cleveland’s 40-man ahead of the Rule 5 deadline. The additions were explicitly made to protect eligible players and preserve organizational depth.

Austin Peterson, listed at age 26, will head to Columbus after a split 2025 that began with dominance in Double-A and a bumpier Triple-A finish. In 2025 at Double-A he made 11 starts, totaling 55.0 innings with a 1.47 ERA, 3.29 FIP, 23.9 percent strikeout rate and a 0.84 WHIP; after promotion he logged 15 starts and 90.2 innings with a 4.27 ERA, 4.37 FIP, 20.2 percent strikeout rate, 7.8 percent walk rate and a 1.37 WHIP. He has a career minor-league ERA of 3.36 across 422.2 innings. One scouting assessment notes he “absolutely dominated Double‑A to begin 2025 looking well on his way to repeating his tremendous 2024 season, but then struggled after an early‑season promotion to Triple‑A. Remains on the 40‑man roster.”

Yorman Gómez, 23, joins Peterson in Columbus after a minor-league track that mixes starts and relief work. Gómez carries a 4.45 ERA through 434.2 innings and averages 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings; he climbed prospect boards after a reported spike in velocity last offseason and was voted the club’s No. 18 prospect in a recent poll, earning 22.9 percent of the vote versus Andrew Walters at 17.1 percent, Josh Hartle at 20 percent and Austin Peterson at 12.9 percent. One evaluation noted, “Gomez soared up the starting pitcher rankings after a spike in velocity last offseason.”

Projections differ on how Cleveland views the pair as immediate big-league options. One analysis argues Cleveland’s rotation is nearly set and “a call-up would more than likely see him enter out of the bullpen, just like Gómez,” pointing to a bullpen-first path if either arm is recalled. By contrast, a depth analysis recommends Gómez should “go to Columbus to start the season in the rotation and start until he proves he can’t do it. He could be an option sometime in 2026.” For Peterson the pitch is durability and swing-man value; an evaluator wrote that “a big durable strike throwing arm has a lot of value on a 40‑man roster.”

The options were recorded amid other early March transactions that populated the roster log: assignments include SS Ricardo Romero on March 6, CF Jose Pirela and 1B Riley Nelson on March 5, 2B Jonathan Martinez on March 3, and several March 1 entries. Social posts and camp notes also list reassignments of Tanner Burns, Trenton Denholm, Tommy Mace, Aaron Davenport and Cameron Barstad to minor league camp.

With the 40-man full and both pitchers in Columbus, Peterson and Gómez give the Guardians depth the organization can use as injuries or innings needs arise during the 2026 season; the transaction timestamps noted here differ between March 4 and March 6 and should be reconciled with the team’s official transaction log for the authoritative record.