The Los Angeles Dodgers released veteran utility player Chris Taylor on Sunday, cutting ties with a longtime fixture who had been relegated to the end of the bench in recent weeks.
Taylor, a Dodger since 2016, will be taken off the roster to make room for another utility player, Tommy Edman, who was activated off the injured list ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels.
By releasing Taylor, the Dodgers will pay out the final year of his four-year, $60 million contract and allow him to be a free agent.
His departure comes four days after the Dodgers cut ties with longtime backup catcher Austin Barnes in order to make room for top prospect Dalton Rushing. Outside of Clayton Kershaw, Taylor and Barnes represented the Dodgers’ two longest-tenured members. The decision to release Taylor seemingly signals that Hyeseong Kim, the rookie second baseman from South Korea, will stay in the major leagues, even after Teoscar Hernandez is activated off the injured list in the coming days. Kim, a speedy left-handed hitter, is 14-for-31 since being called up from Triple-A. Taylor has appeared in just 35 games this season and accumulated only 28 plate appearances, during which he collected seven hits and 13 strikeouts without drawing a walk. Taylor’s only discernible path to playing time came as a late-game defensive replacement in left field. His opportunities for major league at-bats became so infrequent that the Dodgers occasionally had minor league pitchers make the drive from nearby Rancho Cucamonga to pitch to Taylor so he could see velocity. Not long ago, though, Taylor was a core member of highly successful Dodgers teams, a clear embodiment of the front office’s infatuation with versatility. After struggling to break through with the Seattle Mariners, Taylor was dealt to the Dodgers in June 2016, changed his swing and altered the path of his career. From 2017 to 2023, Taylor slashed .256/.336/.444, put up 17.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement and saw frequent playing time at six different positions: left field, center field, right field, third base, second base and shortstop. His best moments came in October. Taylor was co-MVP in the 2017 National League Championship Series, along with Justin Turner. In Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS, Taylor made a miraculous catch in the left-center-field gap to preserve a one-run lead and eventually propel the Dodgers to victory. During the 2021 playoffs, Taylor hit the walk-off home run in the wild-card game against the St. Louis Cardinals, then hit three home runs against the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. But Taylor slumped badly during the 2024 season, batting .202/.298/.300 in 87 games. And as the 2025 season played out, it became clear that Taylor didn’t necessarily have a role on this era’s most star-laden Dodgers roster.
MLB MLB Home Scores Schedule Standings Stats Teams Odds Draft Where To Watch Fantasy Baseball Transactions Depth Charts Odds Futures Top 100 Players All-Time Tickets Dodgers release utilityman Chris Taylor, activate Tommy Edman Alden Gonzalez May 18, 2025, 02:01 PM ET Share LikeLike Open Extended Reactions LikeWowInteresting 3.2K The Los Angeles Dodgers released veteran utility player Chris Taylor on Sunday, cutting ties with a longtime fixture who had been relegated to the end of the bench in recent weeks. Taylor, a Dodger since 2016, will be taken off the roster to make room for another utility player, Tommy Edman, who was activated off the injured list ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels. ADVERTISEMENT By releasing Taylor, the Dodgers will pay out the final year of his four-year, $60 million contract and allow him to be a free agent. Editor’s Picks Kershaw rusty but sees ‘glimpses’ of form in debut 6d Ohtani ramps up rehab, throws 50-pitch bullpen 6d His departure comes four days after the Dodgers cut ties with longtime backup catcher Austin Barnes in order to make room for top prospect Dalton Rushing. Outside of Clayton Kershaw, Taylor and Barnes represented the Dodgers’ two longest-tenured members. The decision to release Taylor seemingly signals that Hyeseong Kim, the rookie second baseman from South Korea, will stay in the major leagues, even after Teoscar Hernandez is activated off the injured list in the coming days. Kim, a speedy left-handed hitter, is 14-for-31 since being called up from Triple-A. Taylor has appeared in just 35 games this season and accumulated only 28 plate appearances, during which he collected seven hits and 13 strikeouts without drawing a walk. Taylor’s only discernible path to playing time came as a late-game defensive replacement in left field. His opportunities for major league at-bats became so infrequent that the Dodgers occasionally had minor league pitchers make the drive from nearby Rancho Cucamonga to pitch to Taylor so he could see velocity. Not long ago, though, Taylor was a core member of highly successful Dodgers teams, a clear embodiment of the front office’s infatuation with versatility. After struggling to break through with the Seattle Mariners, Taylor was dealt to the Dodgers in June 2016, changed his swing and altered the path of his career. From 2017 to 2023, Taylor slashed .256/.336/.444, put up 17.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement and saw frequent playing time at six different positions: left field, center field, right field, third base, second base and shortstop. His best moments came in October. Taylor was co-MVP in the 2017 National League Championship Series, along with Justin Turner. In Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS, Taylor made a miraculous catch in the left-center-field gap to preserve a one-run lead and eventually propel the Dodgers to victory. During the 2021 playoffs, Taylor hit the walk-off home run in the wild-card game against the St. Louis Cardinals, then hit three home runs against the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. But Taylor slumped badly during the 2024 season, batting .202/.298/.300 in 87 games. And as the 2025 season played out, it became clear that Taylor didn’t necessarily have a role on this era’s most star-laden Dodgers roster. Sponsored You May Like MSport, Official Regional Partner of Chelsea & BVB in Africa MSport Register & Receive NGN500,000 Immediately MSport Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyInterest-Based AdsManag Preferences © ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Sizing up Dodgers, Mets in rematch of last year’s NLCS teams play Alden Gonzalez on Dodgers-Mets: ‘These games should be a lot of fun’ (1:14) Jorge Castillo Alden Gonzalez May 23, 2025, 07:00 AM ET Share LikeLike Open Extended Reactions LikeLaughInteresting 160 The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets are about to see a whole lot of each other. The defending World Series champions and the team they beat to win the National League pennant last fall play three games this weekend at Citi Field and four games at Dodger Stadium starting June 2. For those of you scoring at home, that’s seven matchups in a span of 14 days. Both teams enter Friday’s opener in back-and-forth battles for first place in their respective divisions. How will their head-to-head play dictate the state of the NL East and West? Will they clash again come October? And who has the edge — both for now and if/when they cross paths in the playoffs? ESPN MLB writers Jorge Castillo (based in New York) and Alden Gonzalez (based in Los Angeles) answer a few key questions about the Mets and Dodgers. What has stood out most to you about each team’s strong start to the season? Castillo: The starting rotation was identified as the Mets’ weakness before the season, especially after Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas sustained injuries during spring training. That has not been the case so far. Instead, the Mets own the best rotation ERA in the majors with a quintet of Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning toeing the rubber. The group has stumbled recently, and its innings total ranks in the bottom half of the majors. But the collective performance has allowed the Mets to overcome slow starts from various position players — most notably, Juan Soto.
Gonzalez: The emergence of three young players in particular: Dalton Rushing, Hyeseong Kim and Andy Pages. Rushing, the team’s most promising prospect outside of Roki Sasaki, torched Triple-A and prompted the Dodgers to cut ties with their longtime backup catcher, Austin Barnes. Kim, signed out of South Korea last offseason, did the same, then performed so well in the majors the Dodgers swallowed the remaining $13 million or so in Chris Taylor’s contract. Pages, meanwhile, went from being uncertain if he’d crack the Opening Day roster to establishing himself as an everyday player. Their success underscores what has made the Dodgers the Dodgers: No matter how bloated their payroll, how poor their draft position or how often they trade prospects for veterans, they always seem to have that next wave coming. Despite all the positives so far, what is your biggest concern about each team? Castillo: Regression seems inevitable for the Mets’ starting rotation (unless it’s going to maintain an ERA under 3 all season). Add that to the recent bullpen injuries — namely losing A.J. Minter for the season — and the defense’s troubles, and run prevention could become a bigger issue for the Mets as the season progresses. Defensive lapses were apparent during last weekend’s Subway Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, when Mark Vientos made two errors that cost runs and Pete Alonso’s errant throw allowed the go-ahead run to score in the finale. Francisco Lindor, a perennial Gold Glove contender, hasn’t been himself at shortstop, and the corner outfield spots are below average. It’s a recipe that would call for more offense. Gonzalez: When the Dodgers concluded their fourth homestand of the season earlier this week, 14 pitchers resided on their injured list — seven in the rotation, seven in the bullpen. Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Sasaki are all nursing shoulder injuries with nebulous timetables, severely compromising the rotation and forcing the bullpen to lead the majors in innings. That bullpen, meanwhile, is without four critical high-leverage options in Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen and Kirby Yates, leaving Dodgers manager Dave Roberts with few, if any, trusted right-handed options to hold leads late. Dodgers pitchers continue to get hurt at an alarming rate. And not even this team can overcome that rate of injury.
Castillo: Soto, by most standards, is not having a bad season at the plate. Many players would gladly take an OPS over .800. But he signed a $765 million contract to be one of the best hitters in the sport, and he’s been far from one of those. If Soto can unlock his usual form, and there’s nothing in his track record to suggest he won’t, the Mets’ lineup becomes a different animal. Soto, at his best, makes hitters around him better. He works pitchers. He shuffles and he swaggers. The Mets haven’t seen that version yet. The body language isn’t quite right and the production isn’t there. That’ll need to change for them to become legitimate pennant contenders in a loaded National League. Gonzalez: Shohei Ohtani has been just as much an offensive force as he was last year, when he became the first full-time designated hitter to collect an MVP Award. But there’s a whole other half waiting to be unlocked. Ohtani is going through his pitching progression slowly. At this point it doesn’t seem as if he’ll join the rotation until sometime in July at the earliest — 22 months after his second UCL repair. The Dodgers backed him off his progression ahead of the season opener, they say, in hopes of not wearing him out and providing him with the best chance of being a factor in October. If he looks anything like he did on the mound from 2021 to 2023, he will be. Who has tougher competition to win their division: The Mets in the NL East or the Dodgers in the NL West? Castillo: The NL West has more playoff contenders (four to three), but the quality of competition in the NL East is better. The Philadelphia Phillies, the defending division champs, arguably have the best starting rotation in the majors with an experienced lineup that has been through it all. And the Atlanta Braves are back on track, reaching .500 after their ugly 0-7 start to the season, without much contribution from their two best players. Spencer Strider, activated from the injured list this week, has made only two starts. Ronald Acuna Jr. hasn’t played in a game yet. All three teams are real October threats. Gonzalez: It’s the NL West, because that fourth legitimate playoff contender could end up making a big difference in a tight race. The Mets still have a combined 16 games remaining against the rebuilding Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins. The Dodgers can only beat up on the Colorado Rockies, who they’ll face 10 more times. And while the Phillies are great and the Braves are more dangerous than their record indicates, one can make a case for the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants all being just as good, if not better. Of even more relevance is what the Dodgers will face in the ensuing weeks — 26 straight games against teams with a winning record, with the last 10 coming against division rivals. These teams play seven times in the next 14 days. Give us your prediction for the series and the stars.
F- » Castillo: This is shaping up to be a battle between a struggling pitching staff (Dodgers) and a struggling offense (Mets). Let’s go with Dodgers 4, Mets 3, because the Dodgers have one more home game. The Dodgers’ big three of Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman will power them to a season series victory. Gonzalez: Betts got off to a slow start offensively, but he recently unlocked something in his swing and has started to round back into form of late. He’ll put his imprint on these matchups, but the Mets will win most of the games for a simple reason: On days when Yoshinobu Yamamoto does not pitch, the Dodgers don’t really know what they’ll get from their starting pitchers. Which pitching rotation will be better come October: The Dodgers’ star-studded but oft-injured group or the Mets’ currently producing but lesser-known starters
Castillo: It’s not even Memorial Day. These rotations could look completely different come October. But, for now, I’ll take the Dodgers. They’re bound to have at least a few of those star pitchers healthy for the postseason. If not, something went terribly, terribly wrong. Gonzalez: The Dodgers’ priority this offseason wasn’t Soto. It was Snell. They chased him early and lavished him with $182 million because they knew pairing Snell with Glasnow and Yamamoto would give them a devastating trio for October. If those three are available then, I’m taking the Dodgers. But there’s no telling if that will be the case. If these teams earn a rematch of the 2024 NLCS this October, who are you taking and why? Castillo: Assuming health, the Dodgers because they’re better in every department. Gonzalez: The Mets played the Dodgers tough last year, then signed the new Ted Williams. The Dodgers beat them despite a shorthanded rotation, then added arguably the two most coveted starting pitchers in Snell and Sasaki. Now the Mets and Dodgers are separated by one game, with near-identical run differentials. More than four months of the regular season remain. I plead the Fifth.
Mired in a nine-game losing streak, the Athletics shook up their roster Friday and called up five players, including highly touted prospect Denzel Clarke. Veteran Seth Brown was designated for assignment amid moves that general manager David Forst hopes will give the club more flexibility. “Ultimately, obviously we’re in a stretch right now we’re not finding ways to win,” Forst said in a video news conference. “I think we’re better than we’ve shown the last 10 days.” Clarke, a 25-year-old center fielder known for his standout defense, speed and power, was the team’s fourth round selection in the 2021 amateur draft. He was set to start and make his major league debut Friday night for the A’s (22-29) in the opener of a three-game home series against the Philadelphia Phillies at home in West Sacramento. Clarke was batting .286 with no home runs, 21 RBI and seven stolen bases in 31 games with Las Vegas. His .436 on-base percentage ranked fourth in the Pacific Coast League. Also recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas were left-hander Jacob Lopez and infielder CJ Alexander, while catcher Willie MacIver and infielder Logan Davidson were selected from Las Vegas. During the skid, the club has been outscored 72-26, is batting .209 and has a team ERA of 8.23 while allowing 23 home runs. Outfielder JJ Bleday was optioned to Triple-A along with right-hander Carlos Duran and catcher Jhonny Pereda. The A’s also transferred second baseman Zack Gelof to the 60-day injured list. Forst said Bleday needed a “reset” to find a rhythm at the plate and on defense — something he couldn’t find playing every day at the big league level right now. Manager Mark Kotsay spoke to Bleday on Friday about the move. “Hopefully he’ll be back here very soon,” Forst said. Third baseman Gio Urshela was placed on the 10-day injured list after straining his left hamstring in a loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday. He underwent an MRI on Friday. Urshela left the game in the sixth inning with the injury of the 10-5 defeat. Urshela went 1 for 2 with a bases-loaded walk in the game. He is batting .224 with no homers and 13 RBIs in 32 games this season. The 32-year-old Brown had been the longest-tenured player on the team but struggled to get regular opportunities. He spent time in the minor leagues last year for a stretch, and Forst remained hopeful he would clear waivers and play for Las Vegas before returning at some point to the A’s. He was hitting .192 with a home run and three RBI in 33 games.
