Veteran Pitcher Re-Signs With Dodgers, Days After DFA

Pitcher Chris Stratton, whom the Dodgers designated for assignment Monday, elected to leave the organization rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Friday, the Dodgers re-signed him to a major league contract. According to multiple reports, he has a locker in the visitors' clubhouse in St. Louis in advance of the Dodgers' series opener against the Cardinals.

The Dodgers outrighted Chris Stratton yesterday and he elected free agency, but he has a locker in their clubhouse today.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) June 6, 2025

Stratton, 34, was with the Dodgers for less than a week before he was cut on Monday.

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Signed on May 25, three days after he was released by the Kansas City Royals, Stratton got into two games as a Dodger: a one-inning relief appearance last Saturday against the New York Yankees, and a two-inning appearance the following day.

Stratton allowed one run in each game, leaving him with a 6.00 ERA in a Dodger uniform. The Dodgers were the right-hander's seventh team in a career that began in 2016 with the San Francisco Giants.

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The Dodgers designated Stratton for assignment Monday in order to bring up reliever Ryan Loutos from Triple-A Oklahoma City for his second stint with the team. They also brought in Will Klein, who was acquired from the Seattle Mariners and needed to be added to the 40-man roster, and optioned Noah Davis.

Loutos was designated for assignment Friday in a corresponding roster move.

A first-round draft pick (20th overall) by the Giants in 2012, Stratton made his major league debut four years later. He spent then next three seasons in San Francisco, primarily as a starter, and was traded to the Angels in March 2019.

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Stratton split the 2019 season bewteen Anaheim and Pittsburgh, who acquired him in a cash trade after Stratton posted an 8.59 ERA in seven games as an Angel.

In Pittsburgh, Stratton found his footing as a relief pitcher. He went 15-7 with a 3.98 ERA (108 ERA+) in 163 games for the Pirates from 2019-22.

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The Pirates traded Stratton to the St. Louis Cardinals at the 2022 trade deadline along with Jose Quintana for two minor leaguers.

After Stratton posted a 4.19 ERA for the Cardinals across 42 relief appearances, he was sent packing again, this time in the trade that sent Jordan Montgomery to the Texas Rangers.

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In Arlington, Stratton collected the only World Series ring of his career. He made four postseason appearances for the Rangers in 2023, allowing four runs.

Stratton got a two-year, $8 million contract from Kansas City in December 2023. He made 57 appearances in the regular season for the Royals last year (4-3, 5.55 ERA) but did not pitch in the postseason as the Royals marched to the American League Division Series.

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