Atlanta Braves minor league left-hander Jacob Gomez has been released from the organization after an off-field incident brought his season to an abrupt end. The move comes with just a week remaining in the Rome Emperors’ 2025 campaign.
According to reports from the Rome News-Tribune, Gomez was arrested on August 28 in connection with a shoplifting case at a local Walmart. The Emperors, Atlanta’s High-A affiliate, made the decision to part ways with the pitcher three days later.
Gomez, who signed with the Braves as an undrafted free agent in July 2024, had been putting together a solid season on the mound. Between Low-A Augusta and High-A Rome, he appeared in 33 games, posting a combined 2.75 ERA with 67 strikeouts across 51 innings. At Rome alone, the lefty logged 20 relief outings, going 1-2 with a 2.73 ERA and striking out 35 hitters in 29.2 frames. His ability to miss bats stood out, registering an impressive 11.8 K/9 rate across both levels.
Before joining the Braves system, Gomez spent four seasons at Old Dominion, where he built a reputation as a strikeout arm, fanning nearly 10 batters per nine innings during his college career.
Meanwhile, the Emperors are finishing out their final series of the regular season on the road against the Hub City Spartanburgers. Rome has taken two of the first three games this week, winning 3-2 on Tuesday and 3-1 on Thursday, while dropping Wednesday’s contest 4-2. The series concludes Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET, wrapping up the Emperors’ 2025 slate.
At the major league level, the Braves are hosting the Seattle Mariners this weekend at Truist Park. Atlanta looks to keep momentum in the NL while Seattle fights to gain ground in the AL West, sitting 3.5 games behind the Houston Astros entering the series.