If you blinked last September, you probably missed it. One day Matt Sauer is on the Los Angeles Dodgers 40-man roster, the next he’s designated for assignment, and about forty-eight hours after that, he’s just… gone. Released. No trade, no "sent down for seasoning," just a straight-up cut.
Then, because the Dodgers front office loves a good plot twist, they signed him back to a minor league deal literally a week later.
Honestly, it was the kind of roster shuffling that makes casual fans pull their hair out. Why drop a guy only to bring him back seven days later? It felt like a glitch in the Matrix or maybe just a desperate hunt for bullpen depth that didn’t involve a 40-man commitment. But there’s a lot more to the dodgers roster move matt sauer saga than just some paperwork.
The June Game That Ruined Everything
Let’s talk about June 10th. If Matt Sauer has nightmares, they probably feature the San Diego Padres and a very long, very hot afternoon at Petco Park.
The Dodgers were getting shelled. It was an 11-1 blowout, the kind of game where a manager looks at his bullpen and realizes he can't burn his high-leverage arms. He needs a "sacrificial lamb." Dave Roberts basically handed Sauer the ball and told him to stay out there until the bleeding stopped or the game ended.
Sauer threw 111 pitches. Over 4.2 innings, he gave up 13 hits and 9 earned runs.
It was brutal to watch. His ERA, which had been a respectable 3.05, shot up to 5.68 in a single afternoon. You’ve gotta feel for a guy in that spot. He was doing a job for the team—saving the rest of the arms for the next day—but it effectively tanked his season stats. He only saw the majors twice more after that before the September madness began.
Breaking Down the Dodgers Roster Move Matt Sauer Mystery
So why release him in September? Usually, when a team wants to keep a player but remove him from the 40-man roster, they "outright" him to the minors. This requires clearing waivers.
When the Dodgers designated Sauer for assignment on September 6th to make room for Chuckie Robinson, everyone expected the standard procedure. Instead, they released him on September 11th.
Speculation started flying. Was he hurt? In the MLB, you can’t put a player on outright waivers if they're injured. If Sauer was nursing a minor tweak, the Dodgers might have been forced to release him and then re-negotiate a new minor league deal once he was "healthy" on paper.
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Basically, the Dodgers gamed the system. By September 18th, Sauer was back in a Dodgers uniform in Triple-A Oklahoma City. They kept the depth they wanted without the 40-man headache. It's cold, but that's how Andrew Friedman plays the game.
The Rule 5 Refugee
To understand why the Dodgers even bothered with Sauer, you have to look at his pedigree. This isn't some random scrub. The Yankees took him in the second round back in 2017 and gave him a nearly $2.5 million signing bonus.
He’s got the "stuff."
- A four-seamer that touches 97-98 mph.
- A sweeping slider with high spin rates (around 2,600 rpm).
- A newly developed cutter the Dodgers taught him this spring.
The Kansas City Royals actually plucked him from the Yankees in the 2023 Rule 5 draft. He didn't stick there, posting a 7.71 ERA before being sent back to New York. The Dodgers saw a reclamation project. They lowered his arm slot. They fixed his recovery issues. For a while, it worked. He even notched his first career save against the Marlins in May.
Where is Matt Sauer Now?
If you were hoping for a 2026 comeback in Dodger Blue, I’ve got bad news. After getting his World Series ring (yes, he qualifies since he was one of the 63 pitchers used in 2025), Sauer decided he’d had enough of the "shuttle" between OKC and LA.
In November 2025, he signed a one-year, $950,000 deal with the KT Wiz in the KBO.
Honestly, it's a smart move. In the KBO, he’ll get to be a full-time starter. No more "bulk relief" roles. No more getting hung out to dry in 11-1 blowout games. He’s 26, he’s healthy, and if he dominates in Korea for a year or two, he’ll be back in MLB with a multi-million dollar contract before he’s 30.
Lessons from the Sauer Saga
The dodgers roster move matt sauer teaches us a few things about modern baseball:
- ERA is a Liar: If you remove that one disaster start against the Padres, Sauer’s numbers actually look like a solid middle-reliever.
- Roster Spots are Gold: Teams will use every loophole—including the "release and re-sign" trick—to keep talent without using a 40-man spot.
- The KBO is a Lifeline: For guys stuck on the fringe, Korea offers guaranteed money and a chance to rebuild a brand.
If you're following the Dodgers' current roster construction, keep an eye on how they handle their "bulk" guys. They’re looking for the next Matt Sauer—someone with high-round pedigree who just needs a mechanical tweak and a chance to eat innings.
To stay ahead of the next wave of Dodgers transactions, you should track the Triple-A Oklahoma City (now the Comets) active roster specifically for pitchers with high spin rates who have been recently DFA'd by teams like the Yankees or Rays. These are the prime candidates for the "Sauer Treatment" in the upcoming season.