Alek Thomas is headed to free agency, closing out his season and his Dodgers run after spending the final stretch with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The veteran outfielder finished the 2026 season with the Oklahoma City Comets, and his MLB.com transaction log shows he elected free agency at the end of the minor league season. Because he was not on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, Thomas had the ability to test the market right away after the season. He had been removed from that roster in early September after being designated for assignment.
Thomas started the year with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the only organization he had known in his professional career before a May shakeup sent him to Los Angeles. Arizona designated him for assignment and then dealt him to the Dodgers for minor league outfielder Jose Requena.
Los Angeles believed there was something to work with. In May, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman explained the club’s thinking to the Los Angeles Times: “A lot of the swing components have looked the same for a long, extended period of time, and we feel like there are some levers in there to partner with him and potentially unlock a little bit more,” he said. “But even as is, we feel like he’s a good extra outfielder, with the upside for even more than that.”
Thomas delivered at Triple-A. In 68 games with Oklahoma City, he hit .305/.378/.537 with 11 home runs, 51 RBIs and a .915 OPS. He also chipped in 20 doubles, five triples and eight stolen bases.
His chance with the Dodgers came in late August after Andy Pages suffered a fractured hand. Thomas made noise right away, driving in runs with singles in each of his first three games.
But the production cooled quickly. He went 4-for-19 overall, a .211 clip, before being optioned on Sept.
A few days later, on Sept. 5, the Dodgers DFA’d Thomas to create room on the 40-man roster for Bobby Miller. Thomas cleared waivers and remained in the organization for the rest of the year, then helped Oklahoma City win both the Pacific Coast League championship and the Triple-A National Championship.
Now 26, Thomas enters the open market with a reputation as a plus defender in center field and enough offensive intrigue to make him a worthwhile bet for a club looking for upside.
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