Chris Taylor announced his retirement from baseball Friday night after a 12-year MLB career that included World Series wins with the Dodgers in 2020 and 2024. Less than 24 hours later, he reversed course and has been placed on the Minor League IL with a left f
Chris Taylor went to bed a retired baseball player on Friday night. By Saturday, he was back—placed on the Minor League IL with a left forearm fracture for the Los Angeles Angels.
MLB confirmed on Friday night that the 35-year-old utility player had brought the curtain down on a glittering 12-year Major League Baseball career. He won two World Series with the Dodgers, taking titles in 2020 and 2024. Then. less than 24 hours after the announcement. his retirement U-turn became real: Taylor reportedly changed his mind and returned to the sport.
Taylor has been with the Salt Lake Bees. the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. and it was there that his status shifted as the injury workup began. The move lands him on the Minor League IL with the left forearm fracture. putting his comeback immediately inside a medical timeline rather than a fresh start at full speed.
The Dodgers’ World Series hero entered the majors with the Seattle Mariners after they selected him in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB Draft with the 161st overall pick. He debuted in 2014 and spent two seasons in Seattle before being traded to the Dodgers. Los Angeles acquired him in June 2016 in exchange for pitcher Zach Lee. and it didn’t take long for Taylor to settle into a key Dodgers role.
During his 10 years with the Dodgers. Taylor earned NLCS MVP honors in 2017 and was named to the NL All-Star team in 2021. His best season came in 2017, when he batted .288/.354/.496 with 21 home runs, 34 doubles, 72 RBI and 17 stolen bases. One moment still stands above the rest for many Dodgers fans: the 2021 National League wild-card game. when he hit a walk-off home run against the St. Louis Cardinals.
After winning his second World Series in 2024, Taylor was released by the Dodgers early in the 2025 season. He didn’t stay away for long—he signed with the Los Angeles Angels and played 30 games last season, finishing with a .179/.278/.321 slash average.
Even as his retirement announcement lasted barely a day. Taylor’s career numbers already tell the scale of what he’s leaving on paper and what he could still chase on the diamond. He wraps up his resume with 91 stolen bases, 110 home runs, 200 doubles and 443 RBI, while posting a .248 batting average and .746 OPS.
For now, the only certainty is the sudden turn itself—retirement announced, retirement reversed, and the comeback immediately tempered by a left forearm fracture while he sits on the Minor League IL with the Angels.
Chris Taylor MLB Los Angeles Angels Los Angeles Dodgers retirement World Series 2020 World Series 2024 Minor League IL left forearm fracture Salt Lake Bees