Chris Taylor Signs Angels Contract After Dodgers Exit, Reportedly to Start vs. Yankees

Veteran utility player Chris Taylor signed with the Los Angeles Angels, the team announced Monday.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Taylor is already set to start in center field during Los Angeles' matchup with the New York Yankees on Monday night.

He was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team he had been a member of since 2016, on May 18.

The Angels optioned 23-year-old Kyren Paris to Triple-A Salt Lake in a corresponding move to add Taylor.

Taylor spent two years with the Seattle Mariners to open his career in 2014 before he was traded to the Dodgers in the middle of the 2016 season.

He developed into a key piece of Los Angeles' lineup while filling a variety of roles on defense, racking up 78 home runs and 292 RBIs to go along with a .265/.343/.461 slash line across 623 games from 2017-21.

Taylor also served as an important contributor for the Dodgers beyond the regular season, owning a .791 OPS in 80 combined postseason appearances with Los Angeles. The former All-Star won World Series titles with the team in 2020 and 2024.

He struggled to open the 2025 season prior to his release, recording a mere seven hits in 35 plate appearances. Taylor also struck out 13 times and wasn't able to register a walk.

The Angels will be hoping that a new team can help his production at the plate improve, and he'll also provide them with more defensive versatility.

Los Angeles sits at No. 4 in the American League West standings with a 25-27 record, but the team is just four games back from the first-place Mariners.