Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Alek Thomas has elected free agency after a brief and mostly minor-league stint with the team this season, via the MiLB transaction log.
Thomas finished the 2026 season with Triple-A Oklahoma City after the Dodgers designated him for assignment in early September and outrighted him once he cleared waivers. Because he was not on the 40-man roster when the minor-league season ended, he was free to test the market immediately rather than remain organizational depth.
The left-handed hitter spent the first four-plus seasons of his big-league career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who selected him in the second round of the 2018 draft.
He made his MLB debut on May 8, 2022, and was a regular in center field during Arizona’s 2023 World Series run, where he hit four postseason home runs.
Defensively, Thomas has long been regarded as a plus defender at a premium position, though his bat never fully caught up to the prospect hype. Through 2026, his career line sits at .230/.273/.360 with 31 home runs in 455 games.
Arizona designated the 26-year-old for assignment in May after a slow start (.181/.222/.340 in 28 games) and traded him to the Dodgers for minor-league outfielder Jose Requena.
Los Angeles hoped a change of scenery and swing work could unlock more offense. Thomas spent most of the summer with Oklahoma City, slashing .305/.378/.537 with 11 homers and 51 RBIs in 68 games.
He was recalled Aug. 22 after Andy Pages suffered a broken hand and started in center against right-handers. In seven games he went 4-for-19 with three RBIs before being optioned Sept. 1 and DFA’d days later to clear a 40-man spot.
He accepted the assignment, stayed with the Comets, and helped them win the Pacific Coast League title and the Triple-A National Championship.
In the championship game, he delivered a bases-loaded double in the 10th inning. Afterward he said he left the organization proud of how he finished and grateful for the work he did with the Dodgers.
At 26, with remaining arbitration years theoretically available if a team adds him to a 40-man roster, Thomas should draw interest as a defensive specialist and left-handed bench option.
Teams that need center-field insurance or a change-of-scenery project will likely check in.
For the Dodgers, already stacked in the outfield heading into the postseason, the move simply closes a short chapter that began as a low-cost depth addition in May.
Thomas now begins the next one as a free agent.
