Ryan Fitzgerald Remains Part Of Dodgers Organization After DFA

Sep 20, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Ryan Fitzgerald (53) throws the ball to first base to get out Cleveland Guardians third base and infield coach Rouglas Odor (53) during the fifth inning of game one of a double header at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Prior to the Los Angeles Dodgers angering some MLB owners by coming to terms with Kyle Tucker, they claimed Ryan Fitzgerald off waivers from the Minnesota Twins.

That came on the same day the Dodgers also reached an agreement to sign Andy Ibañez to a one-year, $1.2 million contract. When that was made official on Jan. 13, Fitzgerald was designated for assignment in order to make room on the Dodgers' 40-man roster.

Fitzgerald has since passed through waivers without getting claimed and was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, per MLB transactions log.

The Dodgers were in position to claim Fitzgerald because he was DFA'd by the Minnesota Twins at the beginning of the year. That came as a result of the Twins needing to make room on their 40-man roster for Eric Wagaman.

Ironically, the root of the Twins acquiring Wagaman involves the Dodgers, when they traded Esteury Ruiz to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Minor League pitcher Adriano Marrero. Wagaman was designated for assignment by the Marlins in order to make room for Ruiz, and subsequently got traded to the Twins.

Fitzgerald, 31, made his MLB debut with the Twins last season. He batted .196/.302/.457 with four home runs and nine RBI while appearing in 24 games. During his time with Triple-A St. Paul, Fitzgerald batted .277/.367/.469 with 16 doubles, seven home runs and 31 RBI.

Fitzgerald is capable of playing first base, second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions. The bulk of his time in the Minor Leagues has come as a shortstop.

While up with the Twins last season, Fitzgerald played first base, second base, third base and shortstop. He also made two pitching appearances.

Why did the Dodgers add Ryan Fitzgerald?

At the time of claiming Fitzgerald off waivers from the Twins, the Dodgers were thin in terms of position player depth. That presumably was a factor in signing Ibañez to a Major League deal as well.

Although the Dodgers have added Ibañez and are finalizing signing Tucker, they still face somewhat of a need for infield depth.

That currently consists of Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman, Hyeseong Kim, Max Muncy and Miguel Rojas. However, it's possible that Edman is not on the Dodgers' active roster come Opening Day due to his ongoing recovery from right ankle surgery.

And even if the Dodgers do re-sign Kiké Hernández, he won't be recovered from left elbow surgery until months into the 2026 season.