The Colorado Rockies have reportedly placed struggling left-handed pitcher Austin Gomber on outright waivers per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Gomber, 31, has struggled to find his footing in 2025 after missing the first two and a half months battling shoulder discomfort. Since re-joining the team in June, he has made 12 starts and is 0-7 with a 7.49 ERA over 57 2/3 innings. He has tallied just 34 strikeouts and walked 17, but has given up 16 home runs on the year.

Tuesday marked yet another tough start for Gomber when he allowed seven runs on nine hits in three innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. It was the ninth time this season that he had allowed three over more in a start.

The issues have weighed on Gomber, who told reporters on Tuesday after the game, “I feel like I’m in a tough spot right now, I felt like I let the team down. I feel like I’m a little bit lost out there right now. I don’t really have any confidence, conviction. I don’t have an identity of what I’m trying to do.”

A fourth-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014 from Florida Atlantic University, Gomber made his big league debut with the Cardinals back in 2018. He took on a more prominent role in 2020 out of the bullpen, where he posted a 1.86 ERA in 14 games.

Gomber ended up as a headlining piece in the package to Colorado that sent Nolan Arenado to St. Louis in 2021. Immediately slotted into the starting rotation entering that season, Gomber posted a 4.53 ERA in 115 1/3 innings in his first Rockies season. He would remain a staple over the next four seasons, experiencing highs and lows as well as some occasional injuries concerning his back.

Through five season in a Rockies uniform, Gomber owns a 5.31 ERA over 125 games, including 109 starts, in 601 2/3 innings.

He has never thrown particularly hard. His fastball sat in the 91-92 MPH range earlier in his career but is down to 89-90 this season. His curveball has also failed to yield the results, particularly considering his tendencies to be a fly-ball pitcher that pitches at Coors Field. Sporting an ERA north of 8.00 at Coors Field this season, Gomber has been hurt by the long ball during his Rockies tenure, allowing at least 20 in each of the last four seasons, with 16 in 2025.

Gomber has not been designated for assignment and remains with the Rockies while the waiver process is pending. Outright waivers are irrevocable, so he’d change teams within the next 48 hours if another team places a claim. He was earning $6.35 million in his final year of arbitration, with any claiming team responsible for paying the approximately $1.33 million remaining on his contract.

Should he go unclaimed, the Rockies could simply keep him on the roster or try to send him to the minors. Should they choose the latter, Gomber would have the ability to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency since he has over five years of service team. The team may also just opt to release him to open up a 40-man roster spot, rather than wait for him to hit the open market in two months.