Tyler Fitzgerald is staying in the Dodgers’ organization, and the club is bringing back a familiar utility piece on a minor league deal.
According to Baseball America, Los Angeles re-signed Fitzgerald to a one-year Minor League contract. The deal will presumably come with a non-roster invite to Spring Training in 2027.
Fitzgerald had been one of the Dodgers’ 13 Minor League free agents this offseason, but the veteran has now landed back where he finished the year. Los Angeles originally acquired him on April 28 from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash considerations, just four days after he had been designated for assignment.
The 29-year-old didn’t get into a Major League game in 2026, but he did log time with three organizations across the season. Between the Giants, Blue Jays and Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliates, Fitzgerald hit .237/.336/.465 with six home runs, 22 RBI, 22 runs scored, a 103 wRC+ and four stolen bases in 33 games.
His track record before that gives the Dodgers a useful depth option. Over parts of the previous three seasons with San Francisco, Fitzgerald hit .252/.309/.430 with 21 homers, 53 RBI, 75 runs scored, 28 stolen bases, a 106 wRC+ and 3.3 WAR.
His best stretch came in 2024, when he put together a .280/.334/.497 line with 15 home runs, 34 RBI, 53 runs scored, 17 stolen bases and a 132 wRC+ in 96 games.
The appeal goes beyond the bat. Fitzgerald has played every infield and outfield position in his MLB career, and he has even thrown three innings as a pitcher. That kind of versatility gives the Dodgers another layer of insurance on the farm and a possible emergency bench option.
He also brings real speed. Fitzgerald’s 29.6 feet per second spring speed in 2025 ranked in the 97th percentile of MLB players, and in 2024 his 30 feet per second mark was the best in baseball.
His path back to the organization was a little unusual. During the 2026 season, the Dodgers released Fitzgerald in what was described as more of a strategic move. The move cleared a spot on the 40-man roster, and the club re-signed him three days later.
That sequence allowed Los Angeles to add Chuckie Robinson while Will Smith went on the injured list. Fitzgerald then finished the season in the Dodgers’ system before reaching free agency after the year.
Elsewhere on the catching front, Ben Rortvedt elected free agency early in the offseason after choosing to opt out of his contract. He had the right to do that because he had more than three years of MLB service time.
Rortvedt should have a chance to land a Minor League deal somewhere, and the Dodgers would no doubt welcome him back. For now, though, the club is set to open the season with Smith and Hunter Feduccia as its top two catchers while Dalton Rushing recovers from elbow surgery.
In Other News...
Dodgers Rotation Debate Just Got More Real Behind Tarik Skubal
The Dodgers search for pitching help is already shaping up to be one of the bigger offseason storylines, and Freddy Peralta has now entered the conversation as a name worth watching. The Athletic slotted him as the No. 10 free agent and projected a three-year, $84 million deal, pointing to Los Angeles as a logical fit because the club can handle a shorter commitment and still needs innings.
Peraltas appeal is obvious enough after a rough stretch with the Mets and a rebound with the Rays, where he finished with ALCS MVP honors, but the profile is not without some risk. His strikeout rate and uneven history will give teams pause, yet his durability and recent improvements make him a realistic alternative if the Dodgers decide the market around Tarik Skubal gets too expensive or too crowded. [Read more 🡒]
Paul Skenes Just Gave Dodgers Fans Another Reason To Appreciate Ohtani
Paul Skenes has already established himself as one of the games most intriguing young arms, and his offseason comments only added another layer to the way Dodgers fans view their own stars. The Pirates ace pointed to Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the pitcher he would most like to model himself after, citing Yamamotos pitch mixing and the discipline behind his training routine. For a pitcher who debuted in 2024, won the 2025 NL Cy Young Award and still finished the most recent season with 200 strikeouts despite a career-worst ERA, that kind of praise carries real weight.
Skenes also singled out Shohei Ohtani for the way he approaches sleep and recovery, saying he went so far as to have a custom bed and pillow made in Tokyo to better match Ohtanis setup. For Dodgers fans, it is another reminder that the clubs biggest stars are not just elite talents, but reference points for how the modern game is being prepared for and played. Even as Skenes continues to chase consistency on the mound, his admiration for Yamamoto and Ohtani says plenty about where he thinks the standard still sits. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Make Key Front Office Move With Rival Ties
The Dodgers have added a familiar name from across the division to a major front-office post, hiring Caroline Perry as their new chief operating officer effective Nov. 30. Perry arrives after 16 years with the Padres, where she was involved in stadium negotiations and team sales, and she steps into a role that has long carried significant weight inside one of baseballs most visible organizations.
She succeeds retiring Bob Wolfe and becomes one of only three women serving as a COO in Major League Baseball, a notable marker for both the Dodgers and the sport. For a franchise that is always operating under a bright spotlight, the move brings in an executive with deep experience in the business side of the game and a background shaped by years in a division rivals front office. [Read more 🡒]