Taylor, Dodgers' postseason hero and 2-time World Series champ, retires

Longtime Dodger and two-time World Series champion Chris Taylor has retired from professional baseball.

Taylor, who was playing with the Salt Lake Bees, the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate, retired after playing 32 games with the Bees this season.

The 35-year-old, who played all over the outfield and also in the infield, will go down as one of the most important figures of the Dodgers’ run of excellence that began in the 2010s. Acquired in June 2016 for longtime top pitching prospect Zach Lee, Taylor’s acquisition proved to be one of the savviest moves of the Andrew Friedman era with the Dodgers.

After struggling with the Mariners, Taylor broke out in 2017 for the Dodgers, posting an .850 OPS with 21 home runs in 140 games. Taylor kept his heroics going in October, when he was selected as NLCS co-MVP with Justin Turner and hit a leadoff home run in Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers’ first Fall Classic game since 1988.

He became a fixture in the Dodgers’ lineup for most of the next decade, spending 10 seasons in Los Angeles and hitting 108 home runs with a .761 OPS in 1,007 games. Taylor was even better in October, posting a .791 OPS with nine home runs in 80 games. He made his lone All-Star appearance in the Majors in 2021, and became something of a Swiss Army Knife, playing six different positions for Los Angeles.

Taylor hit three home runs in Game 5 of the 2021 NLCS against the Braves, a game the Dodgers needed to win to avoid elimination.

He won World Series titles with the Dodgers in 2020 and 2024.

After being designated for assignment in May 2025, Taylor finished his season and MLB career with the Angels, appearing in 30 games for the Dodgers’ Southern California neighbors. Taylor re-signed with the Angels on a Minor League deal in February and played with Salt Lake until he retired.