Veteran utilityman Chris Taylor was quick to find a new home after being DFA’ed and released by the Dodgers on May 18.
He signed a major league contract worth league minimum with the Angels to stay in the Los Angeles area, but with the promise of more playing time on a roster far less crowded than the Dodgers’.
Some fans were disappointed to see CT3 go, but it was the only way to keep Hyeseong Kim in the majors.
Taylor’s first few at-bats as an Angel went about how Dodgers fans would expect: he went 0-6 with four strikeouts.
However, he did manage to pick things up for a short four-game stretch; he hit .385 with a 1.346 OPS, three doubles, a homer, three RBI, and just three strikeouts. Maybe all he needed was a change of scenery and a little less pressure than he got at Chavez Ravine.
However, if Angels fans thought Taylor was on the brink of a breakout the Dodgers could never get out of him, it’ll have to wait.
On Tuesday, he went onto the 10-day IL with a hand fracture after being hit by a pitch on Monday against the Athletics.
Former Dodgers utilityman Chris Taylor hits Angels’ 10-day IL with hand fracture
The Angels have already been using Taylor as a true utilityman; he’s been posted up in every part of the outfield and at second base since the trade.
Anaheim also made a player-to-be-named-later or cash trade for first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. on Sunday, who was recently DFA’ed by the Giants and could be used in the outfield corners if the Angels are desperate enough.
With Nolan Schanuel batting pretty well as their first baseman and Taylor out, they could be desperate enough.
Hand fractures are tricky, and Mookie Betts missed almost two months with one around this time last season. If things go the same the same way for Taylor, he won’t be back in the Angels’ lineup until well into August.
Outside of poor performance, Taylor also went down with a number of injuries in his last few years as a Dodger.
He missed a month in 2022 with a foot fracture, three weeks in 2023 with knee soreness, and then another month with a groin strain in 2024.
None of them were strictly his fault, but a hit by pitch hand fracture is somehow even more brutal for how unlucky it is. Hopefully, Taylor will be able to pick up where he left off for the Angels when he’s healthy.
