The Dodgers signed outfielder Steven Duggar to a minor league deal last week, according to Duggar’s MLB.com profile page. Duggar hit the open market back in September, as he opted to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate.
The 29-year-old will now head to Los Angeles’ other team, and also make a return to the NL West after spending the bulk of his career in the Giants organization. San Francisco had some designs on Duggar as its center fielder of the future, but while his strong glovework earned him at least a part-time role in both 2019 and 2021, Duggar was hampered by both injuries and a lack of production at the plate. Shoulder injuries sidelined Duggar at the beginning of his MLB career, and an oblique injury sent him to the 60-day injured list last season.
Duggar has a .236/.293/.367 slash line over his 846 career plate appearance in the majors, 805 of which were in a Giants uniform. Duggar appeared in eight games with the Giants in 2022 after being traded for Willie Calhoun in June, and the Angels then claimed Duggar off waivers after Texas designated the outfielder for assignment in August.
Jason Heyward and Bradley Zimmer have also joined the Dodgers on minors contracts in the last few weeks, as Los Angeles seems to be looking to fill the left-handed hitting outfield void created when Cody Bellinger and Joey Gallo signed elsewhere. Like Heyward and Zimmer, Duggar is a good defensive player, and Duggar might yet have some upside at the plate. As recently as 2021, Duggar had a 106 wRC+ over 297 PA with the Giants, fueled by a solid .262/.328/.458 over 247 PA against right-handed pitching. On paper, there’s an opportunity for Duggar to win a roster spot as a platoon partner with Trayce Thompson in center fielder.
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