Angels sign, start ex-Dodgers vet Taylor in CF
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Alden Gonzalez
The Los Angeles Angels signed veteran super-utility player Chris Taylor to a major league deal Monday, starting him in center field and in the No. 8 spot of their lineup in a 5-1 loss to the New York Yankees.
Taylor, 34, was released May 18 after a more than nine-year stint with the crosstown Los Angeles Dodgers and sought an opportunity for more frequent playing time. With the Angels, he could become a regular in center field, a hole in their lineup ever since Mike Trout moved to right field.
“He brings experience, which is something we need in there,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “He’s a good piece for those young guys to talk to about how to handle the grind. He’s been in the grind with L.A., and we want that. We’re going to give him an opportunity to see what he’s got left.”
Taylor went 0-for-3 and made a sprinting catch in the ninth inning against the Yankees.
Kyren Paris, who had been spending most of his time in center, was optioned back to Triple-A to clear a spot for Taylor.
Paris, a second-round draft pick out of high school in 2019, looked like one of the sport’s breakout stars early on this season, posting a 1.514 OPS, hitting five home runs and stealing four bases through his first 12 games. But since then he has slumped badly. In the 31 games that followed, Paris posted a .116/.176/.179 slash line, striking out 52 times and drawing only five walks.
“We didn’t option Paris because of results, because if that was the case, that would have been happening,” Washington said. “He needs to play. He’s young. He needs to go get at-bats. He needs to learn to make the adjustments he has to make. I was very impressed with the way he handled himself when things weren’t going the way he wanted them to go.”
Taylor was a central figure on highly successful Dodgers teams from 2017 to 2023, during which he slashed .256/.336/.444, put up 17.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement and saw frequent time at six different positions: left field, center field, right field, third base, second base and shortstop. He also provided several defining moments in October, winning co-MVP in the 2018 National League Championship Series and hitting the walk-off home run in the 2021 wild-card game.
But Taylor slumped badly during the 2024 season, batting .202/.298/.300 in 87 games. And as 2025 played out, it quickly became clear he didn’t have a role on this era’s most star-laden Dodgers roster. Taylor collected just 28 plate appearances over 35 games with the Dodgers earlier this year, collecting seven hits and 13 strikeouts without drawing a walk.
“It was emotional,” Taylor said of his release. “I’d been with the Dodgers for nine years, but I do believe it was time for me. It was my time to kind of start fresh and hopefully turn the page, start a new chapter.”
On the Angels, Taylor can also be used at second base, relieving a slumping Luis Rengifo. If third baseman Yoan Moncada needs to miss more time on the injured list, Taylor can replace him too. The Angels also have Jo Adell as an option in center field.
“[Taylor] is going to play center field, he’s going to play the infield, he’s going to do everything,” Washington said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is a National League All-Star replacement, giving the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander a chance to break Paul Skenes‘ record for the fewest big league appearances before playing in the Midsummer Classic.
Misiorowski was named Friday night to replace Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd, who will be unavailable for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta because he is scheduled to start Saturday at the New York Yankees.
The 23-year-old Misiorowski has made just five starts for the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball, with 89 pitches that have reached 100 mph.
If he pitches at Truist Park, Misiorowski will make it consecutive years for a player to set the mark for fewest big league games before an All-Star showing.
Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander getting ready for his second All-Star appearance, had made 11 starts in the majors when he was chosen as the NL starter for last year’s All-Star Game at Texas. He pitched a scoreless inning.
“I’m speechless,” said a teary-eyed Misiorowski, who said he was given the news a few minutes before the Brewers’ 8-3 victory over Washington. “It’s awesome. It’s very unexpected and it’s an honor.”
Misiorowski is the 30th first-time All-Star and 16th replacement this year. There are now 80 total All-Stars.
“He’s impressive. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game right now, even though he’s a young pitcher,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a starting AL outfielder for his seventh All-Star nod. “He’s going to be a special pitcher in this game for a long time so I think he deserved it and it’s going be pretty cool for him and his family.”
Carlos Rodón, Carlos Estévez and Casey Mize were named replacement pitchers on the AL roster.
The New York Yankees‘ Rodón, an All-Star for the third time in five seasons, will replace teammate Max Fried for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. Fried will be unavailable because he is scheduled to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.
In his final start before the All-Star game, Rodón allowed four hits and struck out eight in eight innings in an 11-0 victory over the Cubs.
“This one’s a little special for me,” said Rodón, an All-Star in 2021 and ’22 who was 3-8 in his first season with the Yankees two years ago before rebounding. “I wasn’t good when I first got here, and I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t to going to give up and just put my best foot forward and try to win as many games as I can.”
The Kansas City Royals‘ Estévez replaces Texas’ Jacob deGrom, who is scheduled to start at Houston on Saturday night. Estévez was a 2023 All-Star when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.
Mize takes the spot held by Boston‘s Garrett Crochet, who is scheduled to start Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mize gives the Tigers six All-Stars, most of any team and tied for the franchise record.
Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will replace Tampa Bay‘s Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list with left oblique tightness. The additions of Estévez and Garcia give the Royals four All-Stars, matching their 2024 total.
The Seattle Mariners announced center fielder Julio Rodríguez will not participate, and he was replaced by teammate Randy Arozarena. Rodríguez had been voted onto the AL roster via the players’ ballot. The Mariners, who have five All-Stars, said Rodríguez will use the break to “recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.”
Arozarena is an All-Star for the second time. He started in left field for the AL two years ago, when he was with Tampa Bay. Arozarena was the runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 Home Run Derby.
Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, a first-time All-Star, is replacing Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is scheduled to start Saturday night at Arizona. Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.
San Diego added a third NL All-Star reliever in lefty Adrián Morejón, who replaces Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. The Phillies’ right-hander is scheduled to start at San Diego on Saturday night. Morejón entered the weekend with a 1.71 ERA in 45 appearances.
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