The Los Angeles Dodgers signed veteran right-handed relief pitcher Keynan Middleton to a minor league contract Friday.
This signing gives the Dodgers another right-handed relief arm — an area they made sure to reinforce during the offseason. Middleton last featured in MLB for the New York Yankees in 2023, and spent 2024 in the minors before playing in an independent league in 2025.
Middleton made his first MLB appearance with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, and played in 64 games for the Halos that season. He finished the year with a 3.86 ERA through 58.1 innings pitched, and managed 63 strikeouts as well.
The right-hander struggled with injury in 2018, and had to undergo Tommy John surgery after just 16 appearances, ending his season. He returned late in 2019, and had a fantastic bunch of games before the end of the year. Across 2018 and 2019, he had a 1.78 ERA through 27 games, and recorded six saves.
Middleton’s numbers began to decline after 2019, posting a 5.25 ERA in 2020, a 4.94 ERA in 2021 and a 5.29 ERA in 2022. He managed to slightly turn things around in the back end of 2023 with the Yankees, posting a 1.88 ERA, but couldn’t break into a major league roster the following season due to injury.
Throughout his seven-year MLB career, Middleton has a 3.84 ERA through 205 appearances, and has struck out 199 batters in 194.1 innings pitched. Other than the Yankees and Angels, he has featured for the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox.
Aug 28, 2019; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Kenyan Middleton (99) delivers a pitch in the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsWhere Does Kenyan Middleton Fit with the Dodgers?
The Dodgers’ bullpen situation is odd at the moment, as some of their bigger names will begin the season on the injured list. Right-handers Evan Phillips and Brock Stewart will both miss Opening Day, leaving Edwin Diaz, Blake Treinen, Will Klein, Edgardo Henriquez, Ben Casparius and Brusdar Graterol as the only healthy right-handers on the roster.
If Middleton puts together a solid camp, he could find himself back in MLB as some insurance for a Dodger bullpen which has had no shortage of injuries over the past couple of seasons.
Do you think signing Kenyan Middleton is a worthwhile move?
LA Baseball Report
Get the app for faster news
GET ×