Chris Taylor has retired from baseball. Officially, this time.
On Sunday, the former Dodgers star and current Angels minor leaguer announced on Instagram that he has “officially decided to retire from the game I’ve dedicated my entire life towards,” releasing a lengthy statement “clearing up any confusion” about his decision to end his 14-year professional career.
“I’m beyond grateful to all of my coaches and teammates, and the organizations who allowed me to live out my childhood dream,” Taylor wrote. “I’ll forever cherish the memories along the way and most of all, the friendships that will last a lifetime.”
News of Taylor’s retirement first emerged Friday, when MLB’s transactions log listed him as having retired from the sport.
But then on Saturday, MLB.com reported that Taylor changed his mind and was instead going on the minor-league injured list, having suffered a fractured forearm on a hit-by-pitch in a Triple-A game last week.
A source confirmed that development to The California Post, saying that while the Angels had initially filed paperwork to the league regarding Taylor’s retirement, the plan had changed a day later.
In the end, however, that appears to have just been transactional confusion.
Rather than rehabbing his injury in hopes of making one last run at returning to the majors, Taylor decided to hang it up at 35 years old.
In his statement, Taylor thanked “the loyal fans who have supported me through my success and stuck with me through the struggles.”
He also highlighted the support of his parents, family and wife, Mary.
“I can’t wait to start our next chapter in life together with our boys,” the father of two wrote.
After being drafted by the Mariners in 2012 and making his MLB debut with the club in 2014, Taylor became an All-Star player and two-time World Series champion during his 10-year run with the Dodgers, who traded for him in 2016 and watched him flourish as a valuable utility player with a highlight reel’s worth of memorable postseason moments.
Taylor had spent much of the last calendar year with the Angels, after the Dodgers released him last May amid a years-long decline offensively.
He appeared in 30 MLB games with the Angels last year, then made 32 appearances with Triple-A Salt Lake this season before getting hurt.
Because he spent the first couple months of last year on the Dodgers’ big-league roster, he is expected to receive a third World Series ring from the team.
