Dodgers Demote Pitcher to Make Room for Eric Lauer

Dodgers Demote Pitcher to Make RoomThe Los Angeles Dodgers have formally added Eric Lauer to the active roster after clearing out a spot by optioning right-hander Wyatt Mills.

On Monday, before the start of the series against the Padres, it was announced that the Dodgers had agreed to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays to acquire Lauer, who had a strong 2025 season and was DFA’d by Los Angeles’ former World Series foe.

The Dodgers only gave up cash considerations for the deal because Lauer was on waivers, but now that the deal has been processed, the team is putting Lauer straight on the active roster.

After losing Blake Snell for a month and change, along with Tyler Glasnow missing a good deal of action, the Dodgers looked around for someone capable of eating innings and settled on Lauer.

Mills is the casualty of the Lauer move. He struggled mightily, pitching in eight games and allowing an 8.10 ERA.

The righty relies on deception from his side-arm release that can catch hitters off balance. However, he has been poor in the majors throughout his career, with a 6.35 ERA in 42 total appearances.

His stuff is lackluster, to say the least, with one strikeout in his time with the Dodgers, though seven walks and three hits allowed.

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Lauer was horrendous himself for the Blue Jays in eight games, putting up a 6.69 ERA and -0.5 bWAR. However, in 2025, he had a 3.18 ERA in 28 games, including 15 starts.

He is an arm that functions out of the bullpen and starts on occasion. He does not throw hard, relying on location and missing bats with his pitch mix.

With the Dodgers only having one southpaw starter, Lauer gives them a different look, and at the age of 31, there is hope that he can turn things around to be at least an average arm to slightly below average.

A good stint in Los Angeles could get his career back on track. He was stellar in 2021 and 2022 with the Brewers, and he had two solid years with San Diego to start his career, but he has also had 6.56 ERA and 13.09 ERA seasons mixed in.

It is hard to predict what he can actually bring, but at the very least, he likely won’t be worse than Mills and can eat innings in the process.