Former All-Star and two-time World Series champion Chris Taylor has retired from professional baseball, according to Major League Baseball’s transaction log, ending a 12-year career that included a decade-long run of success with the Dodgers.

Taylor, 35, was a key member of the Dodgers’ core during their rise to superteam status from 2016-2025.

Originally acquired in a trade with the Mariners as a reclamation project — famously, in exchange for only reliever Zach Lee — the Virginia native blossomed in Los Angeles after overhauling his swing and becoming a versatile utility threat.

He played 1,007 of his 1,123 career big-league games in Dodger blue, collecting 790 hits, 108 home runs, 423 RBIs and plenty of highlight moments to go with it.

“He’s had a great career,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who was in his first season with the club when Taylor arrived in June 2016. “He got everything out of his ability.”

In 2017, Taylor was named co-MVP of the National League Championship Series, helping lead the Dodgers to their first World Series appearance in 29 years by batting .316 with two home runs in a five-game elimination of the Cubs. 

He had another memorable moment when the Dodgers defended their pennant in the 2018 NLCS, making a sprawling, over-the-shoulder, run-saving catch in left field against the Brewers in the series’ decisive seventh game in Milwaukee.

“Man, worlds would have been different if he hadn’t made that play,” Roberts recalled.

When the Dodgers finally ended their championship drought in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Taylor played an important role, starting in all but two games of that October’s postseason run.

He then became an All-Star for the first time in 2021, when he batted .254 with 20 home runs and a career-high 73 RBIs in the regular season, before hitting a walk-off home run in the NL Wild Card game against the Cardinals.

In his postseason career, Taylor had nine home runs, 26 RBIs and a .791 OPS.

Following the 2021 campaign, Taylor became a free agent but re-signed with the Dodgers on a four-year, $60 million contract struck shortly before a lockout in the middle of the offseason.

As a 31-year-old by then, however, Taylor’s play slowly declined amid repeated slumps and recurring injury problems. He never again hit more than 15 home runs or better than .237 in a season. He was relegated to a bench role during the Dodgers’ run to the 2024 World Series, then released last May in the final year of his contract.

Taylor had been with the Angels ever since, appearing in 30 big-league games with them last season while battling more injuries that hampered his play. This year, he had been with their Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City, batting .255 in 32 games.

But on Friday, the husband and father of two decided it was time to hang it up, 14 years removed from originally being selected in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. 

“I hope he, [his wife] Mary and the kids can ride off into the sunset,” Roberts said, while also noting the charitable work Taylor has done through his CT3 Foundation. “He was a joy, a complete pro.”

Aaron Boone called it “a really tough call” to send Spencer Jones back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with the return of José Caballero from the IL.

The manager said the decision was due in part to the Yankees facing some left-handed starters, but the 25-year-old outfield prospect struggled against all pitching in his brief stint in The Bronx, going 4-for-24 with no extra-base hits, three walks and 14 strikeouts.

“I feel it was a good experience for Spencer,” Boone said. “Even though he didn’t get a lot of results, I felt he held his own pretty well. The last two days, he was having some good at-bats.”

To Boone’s point, there was a 105-mph single to center in Thursday’s loss to Toronto and a deep fly out to the opposite field off Trey Yesavage after Jones replaced the injured Trent Grisham in center on Wednesday.

Grisham had three hits in Friday’s 4-2 loss and was thrown out at the plate on a strong throw by Jonny DeLuca from right field.

Boone said he thought Grisham ran “OK” on the bases in his return.

With Grisham recovered from the left knee discomfort that forced him out Wednesday and kept him sidelined Thursday, the Yankees will rely on Amed Rosario and Max Schuemann as the fourth outfielder.

That’s because Jasson Domínguez is still on the IL with a sprained shoulder. Domínguez has begun tee-and toss hitting and is expected to travel with the team to Kansas City and Sacramento on the upcoming trip to continue his work.

Boone said Domínguez might be able to begin a rehab assignment by the end of that trip.

It’s no surprise the Yankees offense has looked anemic lately, given that Aaron Judge is in a six-game skid in which he’s 1-for-23 with no extra-base hits, three walks and 10 strikeouts.

And his lack of production stretches back a bit further, with just a double in a 4-for-35 slump that’s lasted nine games.

Boone liked Judge’s at-bats Friday and his 106-mph laser to center was the final out of the game.

He also grounded out hard to short and Boone said he has been impressed with Judge’s mental approach despite the numbers.

“His emotional consistency is as good as it gets,’’ Boone said. “That’s critical for a major league athlete, where you fail all the time. Doing it every single day, it’s a grind, even for the great ones and you’ve got to be able to deal with that.”

Judge, Boone said, is adept at that.

“Whether he’s dominating the world or going through a little funk, he’s always the same,’’ Boone said.

Giancarlo Stanton (calf) is expected to be reevaluated at some point next week, Boone said, and if he gets the go-ahead, will be able to resume running.

Stanton has been able to continue to swing while on the IL, in spite of the injury.

San Francisco’s Trevor McDonald was perfect through the first three innings against the White Sox tonight. Trying to get through the lineup a second time proved to be impossible for the righty, as Chicago hung nine runs on the Giants and cruised to a 9-4 win.

It started with back-to-back hit batsmen to put Sam Antonacci and Munetaka Murakami on base. Colson Montgomery got the first hit of the game with an infield single, and with the sacks packed Chase Meidroth broke the shutout with an RBI walk.

And the runs would not stop coming. Antonacci would get hit once more before the end of the inning, by a different pitcher. The Pale Hose used five hits and a fielder’s choice to push nine runs in their half of the fourth. Nine is the most runs scored in a single inning this season, and are also the most runs scored in an inning without a home run since 2000. Although just two of the hits hit gaps and had any slug to them, it was a welcome wake-up of the bats after a slow start to the road trip in Seattle.

Please enjoy Mune’s third double of the season to add three RBIs to his ledger:

Davis Martin, untouchable all season, ran into troubles of his own in the bottom of the fifth. He opened the inning with issuing walks sandwiching a double from Drew Gilbert to load the bases. A ground out from Willy Adames put the Giants on the board, followed by a Luis Arráez RBI single. A wild pitch from Martin advanced the runners to second and third with one out, setting up the third and final run of the inning to score on another ground out. Not too many RBI hits in this game, for either side!

Will Venable gave his starter an opportunity to pick up an eighth quality start of the year, but Martin, at 98 pitches, ended his night just 5 2/3 innings in. He gave up an additional run in the sixth, pushing his ERA back past 2.00. During his outing, Martin struck out seven and walked two, but tonight’s four runs are the most the ace has given up so far this season.

The rest of the game was fairly quiet. The slugging White Sox won a game handily without hitting a home run, and without scoring outside of the fourth. Tyler Davis, Brandon Eisert and Trevor Richards each did their job out of the bullpen and kept the game exactly where it was.

After dropping a series to the Mariners in Seattle, this game was a nice win to start the holiday weekend. The South Siders will be back a little earlier tomorrow for the second game of the three-game set. First pitch will be at 3:05 p.m. CDT, where Erick Fedde and gang will look to secure a series victory.

Austin Wells’ dry spell is over.

Wells snapped a streak of 50 consecutive plate appearances without an RBI at what looked like the perfect time, but his tiebreaking home run didn’t hold up under Austin Wells’ dry spell is over.he weight of another bullpen collapse Friday as the Yankees lost 4-2 to the Rays at the Stadium.

The 392-blast to right-center field was just the sixth hit and first RBI of May for Wells, who has lost playing time to fellow left-handed-hitting catcher J.C. Escarra. The reaction in the dugout told the story of a team backing its slumping catcher.

“Austin is always grinding for us behind the plate,” said Gerrit Cole, who made his first start since Oct. 30, 2024. “The effort and the preparation are there. When you see that, as teammates it’s just so easy to root for somebody. Not to mention his positivity and the way he takes care of other people. It was an opportunity for us to take care of him. We were thrilled at that point with the swing and the result.”

Wells lined out to end an eight-pitch at-bat during the second inning, which might have set the table for his homer.

“I saw a bunch of pitches in the first at-bat,” Wells said. “I just got a pitch in the middle that I could put a good swing on.”

Friday was the second game this month that Wells had at least three plate appearances without striking out, as his whiff rate has climbed to 33 percent and his squared-up percentage has dropped to 21 percent, according to Baseball Savant.

Wells didn’t sugarcoat his struggles earlier this week, when he said there are “not many words to describe how bad I’ve been.” The fans who have booed him at Yankee Stadium could think of a few synonyms for “bad.”

But the cheers were loud as Wells slapped first-base coach Dan Fiorito’s hand, trotted around the bases and returned to a receiving line of high-fives, forearm clubs and bear hugs — happy to have a 1-0 lead. How much relief was Wells feeling?

“None,” said Wells, who is hitting .169 with four home runs and six RBIs in 118 at-bats. “I have a lot more work to do.”

Wells later fouled off a pair of two-strike pitches and drew an eight-pitch walk with one out in the ninth, allowing the tying run to come to the plate.

But Trent Grisham grounded out and Aaron Judge flew out to the warning track.

“Wellsy has some good at-bats,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Encouraging to see that. Obviously, it’s been a struggle for him.”

Cole also credited Wells’ game plan and pitch-framing for helping him to navigate six scoreless innings and 72 pitches in his clean return from Tommy John surgery and his introduction to the ABS Challenge System for the strike zone.

MIAMI — Officially, it was Game No. 51 for the Mets on Friday. Unofficially, it was Kids’ Night.

That meant the all-rookie outfield of Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing and Nick Morabito was assembled for the first time, with all three in the starting lineup another first. They never had started together in the same outfield at any professional level.

The trio combined to go 1-for-9 in the Mets’ 2-1 loss. Ewing singled and was the only Met besides Juan Soto to get a hit against the Marlins.

On the bright side, Morabito’s diving catch in left helped save a run in the fifth.

From left field to right it was Morabito, Ewing and Benge, hardly a configuration many would have imagined this early in the season when the Mets opened spring training in February.

Count manager Carlos Mendoza among those who could not have envisioned it.

“I don’t think anybody did,” Mendoza said before the Mets’ loss. “But it’s exciting, and they continue to earn it.”

Such is the new reality for the Mets following injuries that have left Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr. sidelined for the long term. Benge began the season with the club, Ewing arrived 1½ weeks ago, and Morabito was promoted in recent days.

All three have brought a youthful vibe to the Mets clubhouse.

“They are unreal,” Tyrone Taylor said. “I think they are built different these days.”

Taylor was asked in what manner the new wave is built differently.

“They are obviously skilled at baseball, but I think their mentalities, how they go about it is cool,” Tyrone Taylor said. “It’s like they are unfazed by the moment.”

Benge, 23, took a .262/.316/.360 slash line with three homers and eight stolen bases into play. He’s been among the team’s best offensive performers in May following a sluggish start to the season.

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He began the day with an .859 OPS for the month, but his defense has been mixed, with multiple glaring lapses including a dropped fly ball during the Subway Series last weekend.

“He is such a good hitter,” Morabito said. “His plate discipline is pretty elite with his bat-to-ball skills and he’s got some juice as well and he can impact the game. He can really run out there and he’s a great defender.”

Ewing, 21, brought a .276/.432/.448 slash line with one homer and two stolen bases over 10 games into play.

“I think what impresses me is his plate discipline and obviously his speed,” Morabito said. “Speed plays a big factor here.”

He can impact the game in so many ways, but I have loved playing with him and just watching him mature as a baseball player.”

Morabito, 23, was teammates with Ewing this season for two months at Triple-A Syracuse. He was teammates last season with Benge for about a month at Double-A Binghamton.

Ewing and Benge were teammates at Single-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton last season.

Morabito, who debuted in the major leagues Tuesday, has wasted little time getting acclimated.

“It’s awesome,” Ewing said. “The guys, everyone with me was super inviting, and they did the same with him and he’s been fitting in really well and seems comfortable. He plays the game extremely hard.”

Mendoza has other options for the outfield, most notably playing Juan Soto in left. But the inclusion of the three rookies on the roster allows Mendoza to use Soto as the DH. The Mets have another strong option defensively for the outfield in Taylor.

But it’s the three rookies attracting attention as the Mets attempt from the early hole they have dug. The Mets began play 22-28 after splitting four games in Washington.

“I think all three of them have all the tools and the Mets’ future looks pretty cool,” Taylor said. “Fans should be excited about it for sure.”

The Colorado Rockies came into Tuesday night looking to do more than play another close game.

This time, they finished one.

The Rockies (20-32) found a way to cross the finish line, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks (26-24) 3-2 at Chase Field after tying the game in the eighth, turning a huge double play in the bottom half, and pushing across the winning run in the ninth.

After back-to-back frustrating finishes — a late loss to Texas and Monday night’s walk-off loss in Arizona — Colorado finally got the kind of late execution it had been missing. Tomoyuki Sugano gave the Rockies a strong start, TJ Rumfield tied the game with an eighth-inning double, Sterlin Thompson set up the ninth with his first MLB extra-base hit, and Chad Stevens followed with his first MLB RBI to give Colorado the lead.

Antonio Senzatela got the win, improving to 4-0 after recording the final five outs. Ryan Thompson took the loss for Arizona, falling to 2-1.

Sugano survives the noise

The Diamondbacks hit the ball hard throughout Tomoyuki Sugano’s outing. That was clear early, and it never really went away. Arizona put 23 balls in play against him, and 11 were hard hit. Ketel Marte’s 116.7 mph double was the loudest swing, and Corbin Carroll added a 107 mph single in the fifth.

Sugano did not overpower the Diamondbacks. He managed them.

Arizona got its first run in the second, when Nolan Arenado opened the inning with a loud double to center. Ildemaro Vargas moved him to third with a flyout to right, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. brought him home with a sacrifice fly to center. In the fourth, Sugano’s only walk came back to hurt him. Geraldo Perdomo reached with one out, moved to second on Vargas’ groundout, and scored when Gurriel pulled a ground-ball single into left.

There were other pressure points, too. Marte doubled with two outs in the third before Sugano got Carroll to fly out. In the fifth, after the Rockies had cut the deficit to 2-1, Ryan Waldschmidt singled, stole second and moved to third on Carroll’s hard ground-ball single. Sugano stranded both runners by getting Perdomo to line out to right.

That was the shape of his night. Arizona kept creating stress, but Sugano kept the game from opening up. He changed looks, limited the walks, kept the ball in the park and carried the Rockies into the seventh.

Sugano finished with 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts on 97 pitches. He threw seven different pitch types: 33 sinkers, 19 splitters, 15 sliders, 10 sweepers, eight four-seamers, eight curveballs and four cutters.

That length mattered for more than the box score. The Rockies had leaned hard on their bullpen in recent days, and Sugano gave them exactly the kind of start they needed.

“Our bullpen was in bad shape, and we needed him to go a long time,” Warren Schaeffer said after the game. “He was efficient with his pitches, throwing strikes and just doing what he does with all of his pitches (and) keeping guys off balance. He’s been huge for us all year, and tonight was no exception.”

Rockies let Soroka off the hook

Michael Soroka gave the Diamondbacks six strong innings, and the Rockies did not make him work as hard as they needed to. He allowed one run on four hits, struck out two, walked none and threw 51 of his 78 pitches for strikes.

Colorado was aggressive against him, swinging at 48 pitches while taking 30. That approach kept the ball in play, but it did not produce enough damage. The Rockies struck out only twice against Soroka, which is usually a good sign, but they also did not draw a walk and rarely forced him away from his plan.

Soroka mixed five pitches, throwing 28 slurves, 27 four-seamers, 11 changeups, eight sinkers and four cutters. He did not need to overpower the Rockies. He stayed around the zone, changed speeds and got enough soft contact to keep Colorado from building sustained pressure.

The Rockies’ best chance against him came in the fifth. Willi Castro and Ezequiel Tovar opened the inning with singles, and Sterlin Thompson was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Soroka had given Colorado the opening it needed, but the Rockies came away with only one run. Chad Stevens struck out, Jake McCarthy drove in Castro with a deep sacrifice fly, and Hunter Goodman ended the inning by tapping a ball in front of the plate.

That was the miss. The Rockies had bases loaded, nobody out and a chance to take control of the game. Instead, they turned it into one run and let Soroka escape with the lead.

Rockies get to Arizona’s bullpen

For most of the night, the fifth-inning chance looked like it might define the game. Then the Rockies found another path against Arizona’s bullpen.

Hunter Goodman opened the eighth with a walk against Juan Morillo, then moved to second on a passed ball by Gabriel Moreno. TJ Rumfield followed with the swing Colorado had been chasing, pulling a double to right field to score Goodman and tie the game at 2-2.

They took advantage again in the ninth. After Ezequiel Tovar popped out, Sterlin Thompson worked the count full and lined a double to center for his first MLB extra-base hit. Chad Stevens followed with a line-drive single to right for his first MLB RBI, scoring Thompson and giving the Rockies their first lead of the night.

“It was an awesome job by [Thompson] hitting a double there,” Stevens said. “Then I don’t think I could have drawn it up much better by driving him in.”

“I couldn’t ask for much more,” he said. “I’m just happy I was able to contribute and help the team win.”

That gave Antonio Senzatela a one-run lead to protect, and he handled it cleanly.

Senzatela wins the day

Brennan Bernardino entered in the seventh and finished Sugano’s inning by getting Ketel Marte to ground out. He came back for the eighth after the Rockies had tied the game, but Arizona immediately put pressure on him. Corbin Carroll reached on a ground-ball single that deflected off Bernardino, and Geraldo Perdomo bunted him to second.

That brought in Antonio Senzatela with one out, Carroll in scoring position and the game tied. Senzatela hit Nolan Arenado with a pitch, putting two on and giving Arizona a chance to answer right back.

Instead, the Rockies made the biggest defensive play of the night.

Ildemaro Vargas grounded into a 5-6-3 double play, with Kyle Karros starting it at third, Tovar making the turn and Castro finishing it at first. The play ended the inning, kept the game tied and gave Colorado one more chance.

The Rockies used it in the ninth, and Senzatela made it stand.

He stayed on for the bottom of the ninth and retired Jose Fernandez on a flyout, Gabriel Moreno on a groundout to third and Adrian Del Castillo on a popup to second. His final line was 1.2 scoreless innings with no hits, no walks and no strikeouts. It was not flashy. It was clean, and it was exactly what the Rockies needed.

Colorado finished with nine hits and went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, so there were still missed chances. They left nine runners on base. They did not play a perfect offensive game.

But they got Sugano’s length, Rumfield’s tying double, the massive eighth-inning double play, Thompson’s first extra-base hit, Stevens’ first RBI and five outs from Senzatela.

Winning feels great.

Up Next

The Rockies will continue their series against the Diamondbacks on Friday night at Chase Field. Colorado is scheduled to send right-hander Michael Lorenzen to the mound. Lorenzen enters at 2-6 with a 7.03 ERA and 36 strikeouts.

Arizona will counter with right-hander Zac Gallen, who enters at 2-4 with a 4.78 ERA and 34 strikeouts.

First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. MDT.

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The Athletics and San Diego Padres kicked off a three-game series on a beautiful Friday night in San Diego. The A’s sought to win their fourth straight game, while the Padres hoped to rebound after losing their past series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Buoyed by three key home runs, the Padres won the series-opener 7-3, ending the A’s winning streak.

Early Offense

A’s right fielder Carlos Cortes started the game with a single against Padres starting pitcher Walker Buehler. First baseman Nick Kurtz promptly socked an RBI double on the first pitch he saw from the right-hander, scoring Cortes to give the A’s an early 1-0 lead. That hit extended Kurtz’s on-base streak to an incredible 45 consecutive games. Kurtz moved to third on catcher Shea Langeliers’ groundout and then scored on designated hitter Brent Rooker’s groundout.

In the bottom of the first, the Padres answered right back. Second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. drew a leadoff walk against A’s starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs. With two outs, Machado tied the game with his eighth home run of the year, a two-run blast to the stands in left field.

A’s Waste Multiple Scoring Chances

In the second, the A’s had a chance to re-take the lead. With one out, center fielder Henry Bolte walked and then second baseman Jeff McNeil singled. Alas, Buehler buckled down, retiring the next two hitters to escape that jam unscathed.

Kurtz led off the A’s half of the third with a walk, but was stranded at second. Athletics’ left fielder Tyler Soderstrom ended the inning by striking out looking on a pitch right down the middle that was begging to be crushed.

Through three innings, the A’s went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, failing to take advantage of several early scoring opportunities. Meanwhile, Springs settled down, posting two-straight scoreless frames.

A’s Jump Back in Front

A’s third baseman Zack Gelof kicked off the fourth inning with a double down the left field line. Like Gelof, Bolte took advantage of the first pitch he saw from Buehler, sizzling an RBI single to center field. The Athletics first hit with a runner in scoring position put the team up 3-2.

Bolte did not spend any time at first. He was quickly thrown out attempting to steal second, the second A’s runner caught stealing through the game’s first four innings. Unlike in the first inning, Jeffrey Springs retired the San Diego Padres in order in the bottom of the fourth, delivering a much-needed shutdown inning. With one out in the fifth, Kurtz worked an 11-pitch at-bat that resulted in his second walk of the game and third time reaching base in three plate appearances. That was all the A’s offense mustered that inning.

Padres Come Back Again

In the bottom of the fifth, the Padres tied the game with their second and home run of the night. Right fielder Nick Castellanos crushed Springs’ hanging sweeper for his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot that hit the Western Metal Supply Co. Building beyond the left field stands.

A’s Leave Bases Loaded

In the top of the sixth, Bolte’s speed was on full display as he hustled down the line to beat Machado’s throw to first base. The rookie recorded two singles and a walk in his first three at-bats. McNeil hit his second single to keep his team’s two-out rally going. Shortstop Darell Hernaiz walked to load the bases.

The Padres brought in left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon to replace right-handed reliever Bradgley Rodriguez. The A’s countered by having right-handed hitter Colby Thomas pinch hit for the left-handed hitting Cortes. Morejon won the battle, striking out Thomas to strand the bases loaded.

Padres take the lead

San Diego fully seized the game’s momentum shortly after the A’s left the bases loaded. With one out in the seventh, Padres’ left fielder Ramón Laureano, a former A’s player, gave the hosts a 4-3 lead with his sixth home run of the season and his team’s third home run of the matchup.

His solo blast knocked Springs out of the game. The A’s starter allowed four runs on three hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking three. Springs mostly kept the ball on the ground, inducing nine groundouts compared to only three fly outs. The long ball was his downfall in tonight’s outing. A’s right-handed reliever Jack Perkins entered the game in relief of Springs and got the final two outs of the seventh inning.

Soderstrom began the eighth with a base hit to the gap. He tried stretching the hit into a double, but got thrown out at second for the first out of the inning.That proved to be a small momentum shift, as it erased a leadoff baserunner and led to a quick scoreless inning from Padres’ right-handed.reliever Jason Adam.

Padres Add on Late

In the last of the eighth, the Padres scored multiple insurance runs against Perkins. They opened the inning with three straight singles to load the bases. First baseman Gavin Sheets’s base hit knocked in two runs. San Diego added a third run on shortstop Xander Bogaerts’s sacrifice fly.

With it no longer being a save situation, the Padres put right-hander Jeremiah Estrada in for the ninth inning instead of their closer Mason Miller. Estrada needed just nine pitches to record the final three outs of the game.

The Athletics will try to bounce back and even the series tomorrow night. J.T. Ginn will make his second start of the roadtrip. The right-hander has been the A’s best starting pitcher these last few turns through the rotation, as evident by his near no-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels in his last outing earlier this week. He will be opposed by Padres’ right-hander Lucas Giolito, who will make his second start of the season.