The Dodgers on Tuesday activated pitcher Eric Lauer, the left-hander they acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday for cash considerations. Right-hander Wyatt Mills was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
After a 3.18 ERA and 3.88 xERA in 2025 for the Blue Jays, Lauer this year had a 6.69 ERA and 5.86 xERA in eight games, including six starts, with 26 strikeouts, 16 walks, and an American League-high 11 home runs allowed. That led to Toronto designating Lauer for assignment on May 11, before trading him to Los Angeles on Sunday.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes spoke with reporters on Monday at Petco Park in San Diego and said that Lauer, who last pitched on May 10, will be inserted into the Dodgers rotation at some point in the next week, but might pitch in relief in the interim. From Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times:
“Part of the thinking is to not create this domino effect of chasing our tails,” Gomes said. “Trying to maintain a similar schedule as we’ve had, and when we can get guys extra days’ rest, do it. If we don’t need it, and we’re trying to line things up a different way, just maintain the flexibility to be able to do that.”
Just looking ahead, starting Lauer on Monday or Tuesday next week at Dodger Stadium against the Colorado Rockies would allow an extra day for the Dodgers to have Shohei Ohtani start for a second consecutive Wednesday directly before a team off day.
Mills pitched in four of the nine games for which he was active, all at the tail end of lopsided affairs. The 31-year-old right-hander allowed three runs in 3 1/3 innings and issued six unintentional walks among his 21 batters faced, with one strikeout. His appearance on May 10 at Dodger Stadium was the first for Mills in the majors since 2022 with the Kansas City Royals, with Tommy John surgery wiping out his 2023 and 2024 campaigns.
“A long road, it’s never a guarantee that you get fully healthy after that. So it was more like a deep breath, kind of peaceful. I felt calm,” Mills said on the homestand. “I put in a lot of work, and my confidence came from that.”
Lauer will wear uniform number 33 with the Dodgers.
