Chris

Taylor

No comment yet from MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, who was the source of Taylor’s unretirement on Saturday. That appears to be a case of getting some wires crossed. The 35-year-old Taylor was hitting .255/.382/.321 in 32 games for Triple-A Salt Lake in the Angels organization before suffering a fractured forearm when he was hit by a pitch Wednesday.

This is interesting. Taylor previously announced his retirement from baseball Saturday, but he’s reportedly changed his mind and will instead remain on the minor league injured list. There has been no reason given yet as to why Taylor changed his mind, but either way, it seems unlikely that we see the 35-year-old back in the majors any time soon; especially considering he’s dealing with the fracture he suffered after being hit by a pitch during Wednesday’s game for Triple-A Salt Lake.

One of the most impactful trade acquisitions in the early stages of the Andrew Friedman era in Los Angeles, Taylor blossomed into a key role player for the Dodgers where he won two World Series titles and spent a decade from 2016-2025. His signature versatility and power/speed combo made him an impactful fantasy contributor as he hangs up his cleats with a .248/.327/.419 slash line with 110 home runs and 91 steals in 1,123 games over 12 seasons between the Mariners, Dodgers and Angels. The 35-year-old was playing for Triple-A Salt Lake after failing to make the Angels season-opening roster out of spring training.

Taylor was with the Angels in spring training as a non-roster invite, but opted out of his contract when he didn’t make their Opening Day roster. Now, he’s back and will report to Triple-A Salt Lake City. He hit .179 across 90 plate appearances with Anaheim last season and will likely only be called upon if there are multiple injuries to their major league outfield options.

Taylor signed as a non-roster invite with the hope of becoming a utility player with the Halos, but the 35-year-old was informed his services won’t be required. After hitting just .186/.256/.301 in 58 games for the two Los Angeles clubs in 2025, Taylor isn’t likely looking at another MLB deal.

We assume this will be a minor league deal. Taylor hit .186/.256/.301 in 58 gams for the Dodgers and Angels last season, and he wasn’t much better in batting .202/.298/.300 in 2024. A bounce back at age 35 would be pretty surprising.

It’s the second straight game that Adell has missed while he continues to battle vertigo. It still sounds like the Angels are going to continue to take things day-to-day here and let him play when and if he’s feeling up to it. Chris Taylor will start in his place in right field again on Friday and will bat second against Luis Castillo and the Mariners.

Adell had returned to action on Wednesday and was scheduled to be in Thursday’s lineup but ultimately wasn’t feeling well enough to give it a go. Expect to see him in and out of the lineup in the near future until he’s back to feeling 100 percent. Chris Taylor will move out to right field to cover for him on Thursday with Luis Rengifo entering the lineup to play second base.

Taylor was a late addition to the Angels’ lineup after Mike Trout was scratched due to a skin infection. He made the most of his opportunity. The versatile 35-year-old led off the seventh inning with a double and scored on an RBI double by Oswald Peraza. Taylor also started the ninth inning with a single and scored the game’s final run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Bryce Teodosio. With his two-hit night, Taylor is now hitting .211/.268/.342 with one homer, six RBI and one stolen base in 82 plate appearances on the season.

No word yet regarding the severity of the issue, but the positive news is it’s unrelated to his surgically repaired knee. Jo Adell moved over to DH with Chris Taylor entering the lineup in right field. There should be an update from Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery following the contest. Fantasy managers should consider Trout day-to-day heading into Wednesday’s contest in Kansas City.