Dodgers News: Keynan Middleton Signed to Minor League Deal to Boost Bullpen Depth
The veteran right-hander becomes the latest bullpen addition as the Dodgers round out their spring roster.
GLENDALE, AZ—As the calendar flips to March and spring training is fully underway, the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers have remained busy in the free agent market, this time inking a minor league contract with veteran right-handed relief pitcher Keynan Middleton, per Baseball America’s Matt Eddy.
Middelton, 32, hasn’t pitched in the majors during the last two seasons and only threw four minor league innings in 2024. He signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals after a solid 2023 season with the White Sox and Yankees, but a spring flexor injury led to surgery over the summer.
That injury kept him out for the rest of 2024 and most of 2025. However, Middleton pitched 3.2 scoreless innings for the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks late last season.
Injuries have consistently disrupted Middleton’s otherwise promising career path. He posted a 3.43 ERA and impressive strikeout numbers over 76 innings during his first two partial MLB seasons with the Angels in 2017-18 before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2019. Since then, he has faced issues with his biceps, ankle, foot, and shoulder, culminating in flexor surgery scheduled for 2024.
Despite a slightly reduced velocity, Middleton continued to miss bats effectively. Between 2022 and 23, he achieved an impressive 17.1% swinging-strike rate, prompted chase swings on 32.5% of pitches outside the strike zone, and struck out over 28% of batters.
Still, with not a lot of room on the Dodgers roster, especially in the bullpen, the signing of Middleton seems to highlight more depth than anything, especially for a long 162-game season.
Dodgers Make Familiar Move, Reuniting With Reliever Yency Almonte
Middleton was just the latest arm the Dodgers added on a minor league deal despite the team already breaking camp, joining former Dodgers right-hander Yency Almonte, who also signed a minor league deal.
Almonte, 31, played a crucial reliever role for the Dodgers in 2022, recording a 1.02 ERA over 35.1 innings that season. However, during the NLDS, he allowed 3 runs in 2.1 innings across three games, contributing to the Dodgers’ four-game loss to their NL West rivals, the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers would trade Almonte just two seasons later, after the righty posted a 7.71 ERA in 2023, to the Chicago Cubs deal that would bring now top prospects Zyhir Hope and left-handed pitcher Jackson Ferris to Los Angeles.
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