Eric Lauer is set to make his debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies. His first appearance with the team comes nine days after he was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays.
Lauer posted a 6.69 ERA, 6.94 FIP and 1.49 WHIP in eight appearances (six starts) with the Blue Jays this season, but has had a solid career. The left-hander was also a key piece for the American League champion Blue Jays in 2025 as he posted a 3.18 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 28 games.
The Dodgers believe they can help Lauer get back to being a quality starter, and Lauer is looking forward to working with the pitching coaches.
“The conversation I just had with (Mark) Prior, there’s a lot of things they see in me that we can get back to where I was,” Lauer said. “That’s pretty much what I’m here for. I’m here to help the team win and get back to being the best version of myself.”
Lauer is now focused on helping the Dodgers continue winning games, and he’s excited to be part of the highly regarded organization.
“I think just throughout my career, I’ve always had a really big respect for the Dodgers organization as a whole,” Lauer said. “You always hear very good things about the organization, the coaching, how they handle things, how they handle players. So I’ve always looked forward to that.
“I just think it’s a good place to be. It’s an organization that’s used to winning, and I’m here to help that continue.”
Lauer has been used as a starter and as a reliever in his career. As the Dodgers deal with multiple injuries in their rotation, the plan is for the southpaw to start games, which Lauer is excited about.
“It makes me really optimistic,” Lauer said. “It’s good to have that clarity and understanding of, ‘This is what we see out of you. This is how we’re going to use you. This is what we need.’
“When it lines up with what I want and what I feel like I can do best to help the team, that’s a really good spot to be in. I think as long as the communication stays open — so far it’s been amazing and very open — just that clear mind so I can go into games so I know what’s exactly expected of me.”
Eric Lauer clarifies comments about opener
While in Toronto, Lauer made headlines by saying he hates following an opener rather than just being a traditional starter, but that it was a decision “above my pay grade.” That led to the belief that Lauer was unhappy with his role with the Blue Jays.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider spoke critically of Lauer’s comments, further fueling the speculation about a rift between the team and player.
Now with the Dodgers, Lauer offered further explanation of his comments, noting he has no real issue with how he’s used, but still has his own preference.
“I think some of that, or a lot of that, was kind of taken out of context,” Lauer began. “There was no ill will there, there was no hurt feelings. It was a very simple question, I thought.
“It was, ‘How do you feel about an opener?’ I think if you ask most starters in the league, they would probably have the same response that they don’t like it. But it doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to do it. It doesn’t mean that I’m not a team player. I’m not going to have a problem if there is somebody in front of me. It’s become part of the game.
“We’re all here to win ballgames. It’s not about any individual player. That was a lot more than I expected that to turn into, and I got a lot of hate for that. I cleared it up with the pitching coach, Pete, I cleared it up with Schneids (manager John Schneider) right away. There was no ill will there. There was no crap-talking or anything about them. We all understood where it came from.
“It was just a little more blown up than I expected it to be or than I ever wanted it to be. There’s no problem with an opener. I’ll say that.”
If you love our reporting, choose DodgerBlue.com as a preferred source on Google.
