After coming to terms with free agent slugger Teoscar Hernandez on Sunday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers need to find a new role for veteran utility player Chris Taylor.
Per Jim Bowden of MLB Network:
The #Dodgers tentative plan is to platoon Jason Heyward and Manuel Margot in RF with Teoscar Hernandez in LF and will make sure to get at-bats for Chris Taylor all over the field including LF.
The 33-year-old University of Virginia product has played 10 years in the big leagues with the Seattle Mariners and Dodgers. He's been with LA since 2016 and helped them win the World Series in the COVID 2020 season.
Known as a versatile defender, he played 57 games in 2023 in left field, spending more time there than at any other position. In addition to playing left again in 2024, he could potentially be used in center sparingly and could give Gavin Lux a day off at shortstop.
Lifetime, Taylor is a .254 hitter with 104 homers and 408 RBI. He is coming off a year in which he hit 15 homers and drove in 56. He also stole 16 bases.
The Dodgers feature one of, if not the best, lineups in all of the sport and should absolutely be near the top of the list of favorites for a World Series appearance. In addition to Hernandez, the team also has Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts. Lux is coming back from a season-long injury and Max Muncy is also a 30-home run season waiting to happen.
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