Former Dodger Chris Taylor sets record straight after retirement debacle

Former Los Angeles Dodgers utility player Chris Taylor retired. Then he un-retired. And then he retired again. That was the story, at least, of a man who couldn't make up his mind. Heck, most of us wish we had that luxury. As a professional baseball player with (likely) a few suitors to match, Taylor did. Evidently the reality wasn't all that complicated.

Taylor told all about his brief saga earlier this week. Apparently his plan was always to retire, but the media ran with a false narrative in their never-ending mission to be first with the story. Oh, the media; couldn't imagine being part of that group.

Taylor is a two-time World Series champion, both of which occurred when he was a member of the Dodgers. He's also a former All-Star and ALCS MVP. Taylor is one of those players who can go unnoticed in the Dodgers decade of dominance. When they needed him most, he delivered.

Taylor won NLCS MVP back in 2017, which was the year the Houston Astros infamously cheated their way to a World Series crown. Thankfully, Taylor got his rings at a later date, and will go down as a Dodgers postseason hero regardless.

The 34-year-old spent time on both the Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels rosters in 2025. He failed to find a permanent home in 2026, and thus decided to call it quits. Taylor cleared up the confusion in an Instagram post a few weeks back.

“Clearing up any confusion, I've officially decided to retire from the game I've dedicated my entire life towards,” Taylor wrote in his post. “I'm beyond grateful to all of my coaches and teammates, and the organizations who allowed me to live out my childhood dream. I'll forever cherish the memories along the way and most of all, the friendships that will last a lifetime. Thank you to the loyal fans who have supported me through my success and stuck with me through the struggles.”

Former Dodgers player Chris Taylor's retired, but what really happened?

In his appearance on 'Dodger Talk', Taylor opened up on how his retirement decision was misconstrued. Blaming the media may feel like a weak, overstated excuse, but in this case it makes some sense.

Taylor confirmed he told the Salt Lake Bees that he wanted to be placed on the voluntary retirement list. When that news was released to the media, they ran with it. But, Taylor and the Bees had previously decided to start him off on the injured list, and then transition his status to retirement. At that point, the paper trail had already done its damage.

Taylor did not flip-flop on his decision to retire. Rather, he was trying to do the Bees and Angels a favor. The baseball media is always in a rush to break news. In this case, it made Taylor look like an indecisive player on his last legs. The reality couldn't be further from the truth.

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