The Los Angeles Dodgers announced they claimed infielder Ryan Fitzgerald off waivers from the Minnesota Twins after he was designated for assignment on January 2 to make room for newly acquired first baseman Eric Wagaman from the Miami Marlins. Fitzgerald will take the Dodgers' open 40-man roster spot created by trading Esteury Ruiz to the Marlins, which led to Wagaman being designated for assignment and traded to the Twins for lefty pitching prospect Kade Bragg.
Fitzgerald was an above-average hitter in limited big-league action last year, hitting .196/.302/.457 (106 OPS+) with four homers and nine RBI over 53 plate appearances in 24 games as a rookie with the Twins last season. Additionally, his sprint speed ranked in the 79th percentile last year.
Ryan Fitzgerald’s homer cuts the Yankees' lead to three runs. 👀 pic.twitter.com/nd0PSLPZxg
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 17, 2025
Beyond the Twins trading nearly half of their team, the main reason Fitzgerald was given his opportunity in the Major Leagues last year is that he took his game to the next level with Triple-A St. Paul. In 59 games for the Saints during the 2025 campaign, Fitzgerald slashed .277/.367/.469 with seven homers, 31 RBIs, 30 runs and five stolen bases in 245 plate appearances.
Dodgers' decision to claim Ryan Fitzgerald suggests Twins should've kept him
Since the Dodgers are near the bottom of the waiver order, Fitzgerald, 31, being claimed by the team means most clubs passed on the former Twin. Still, the fact that the back-to-back World Series Champions claimed him suggests Minnesota may have made a mistake by designating him for assignment.
Fitzgerald also has options left, so Minnesota didn't even want to stash him in the minor leagues, which the Dodgers may do. Los Angeles likely views him as insurance if/when the team suffers injuries.
Given the fact that Fitzgerald performed at an above-average level in his limited MLB action last season, and can play all four infield positions, the Twins should've kept him instead of signing infielder Orlando Arcia.
Arcia may be a better defender and have a lot more MLB experience than Fitzgerald, but it's clear that Fitzgerald has more offensive potential than the former Braves shortstop at this point. Fitzgerald is a decent defender, too. We know what we'll get out of Arcia, while Fitzgerald has a chance to be an impact utilityman if given the opportunity.