Dodgers DFA longest-tenured position player Chris Taylor after 10 seasons

Chris Taylor was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday to clear a roster spot for utilityman Tommy Edman, who was activated off the injured list and was in the starting lineup for the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels.

Taylor, who played all three outfield spots and second base this season, is owed $13,435,484 from a $60 million, four-year contract he agreed to ahead of the 2022 season. He is due the remaining $9,435,484 of his $13 million salary this season and a $4 million buyout of a 2026 club option.

Taylor, who turns 35 in August, was the longest-tenured position player on the roster after backup catcher Austin Barnes was designated for assignment on Wednesday.

"This has been a very emotional week for all of us," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "Barnesy and C.T. have been in the middle of some huge moments for this organization. Both left an indelible mark on our culture and where we’re at at this point, so the decisions were incredibly difficult.

"But with where we are, the division race, the composition of our roster, we felt like this was in the Dodgers’ best interest in terms of how to win as many games and put us in position to best win a World Series this year."

Taylor had several big postseason hits for the Dodgers, including a walk-off homer that beat St. Louis in the 2021 NL wild card game, three homers in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series against Atlanta and a leadoff homer in the 2017 World Series opener against Houston.

But he had only 35 plate appearances this season, batting .200 (7 for 35) with two doubles and two RBIs in 28 games.

The emergence of rookie Hyeseong Kim made Taylor expendable, Kim hit .452 (14 for 31) in his first 14 games after being