When former three-time Los Angeles Dodgers World Series champion Chris Taylor announced his retirement on May 22, a follow-up report indicated that he had changed his mind and instead was placed on the Minor League injured list.
Taylor then cleared up any misunderstanding with an Instagram post confirming his decision to hang up the cleats.
“Yeah, honestly, the way it all went down was kind of strange. I wasn’t anticipating making it public, and then it ended up getting leaked, I guess,” Taylor said during an appearance on “Dodger Talk” with David Vassegh of AM 570 L.A. Sports.
“And then people thought I was un-retiring, and it was, like, kind of embarrassing. So then I was like, ‘OK, now I have to say something.’ But no, it was all fine.
“It was cool after I made the post, or after it came out, seeing all the support. I got a lot of very nice texts. And yeah, it’s cool to see all the love, especially from Dodgers fans, obviously, playing almost 10 years with them. And I still think they’re the best fans in baseball. Yeah, it always feels good to know that you were appreciated.”
Taylor additionally explained that he didn’t actually change his mind on retirement by being placed on the IL, which was meant to further keep the decision private for the time being.
“Yeah, kind of a weird way it happened. I mean, long story short, I was at the Salt Lake Bees at the time. I told them that I was done. I got hit by a pitch and fractured my arm first. I don’t think a lot of people know that,” he shared.
“But I told them that was probably it for me, I’m going to go home with my family. So I signed the papers, and I think it was voluntary retirement. So that was the transaction, and that got released right away. Then we had it switched to the IL just to try to keep it under wraps a little bit, but it was too late at that point.
“And then when it got switched, people thought I unretired and was coming back. It was very strange.”
Taylor was with Triple-A Salt Lake (Los Angeles Angels affiliate) at the time of announcing his retirement. He had played in 32 games for them prior to fracturing his arm on a hit by pitch.
Taylor originally joined the Angels in 2025 after being released by the Dodgers. He appeared in 30 games for them, which marked his final appearances at the Major League level.
Dave Roberts expressed gratitude for Chris Taylor
When Taylor first announced his decision to retire, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised him for all that he has accomplished and the impact he made on the organization.
“He’s had a great career. He got everything out of his ability, he was a great teammate, I was fortunate enough to coach him,” Roberts said on SportsNet LA. “I hope he, Mary and the kids can ride off into the sunset. Does a lot of stuff with their foundation. He was a joy. A complete pro.”
Taylor made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners but became an everyday player for the Dodgers before spending parts of the last two years with the Angels. Overall, Taylor has played in in parts of 12 MLB seasons.
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