Eric Lauer, 31, who previously pitched for the KIA Tigers in the KBO League, will don a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform in Major League Baseball (MLB).
MLB.com reported on Tuesday (Korea time) that Lauer, who was recently placed on designated for assignment status by the Toronto Blue Jays, has been traded to the Dodgers in a cash deal.
Lauer joined Toronto after posting a 2-2 record with a 4.93 ERA in seven appearances for KIA in 2024. Last season, he held down the mound for Toronto with a 9-2 record and a 3.18 ERA over 104⅔ innings across 28 games (15 starts), helping the team advance to the World Series.
This season, he has struggled with a 1-5 record and a 6.69 ERA over 36⅓ innings in eight appearances. Nonetheless, Lauer received the call from the Dodgers, who have been grappling with a string of injuries to their starting pitchers.
The Dodgers are currently without Blake Snell, who is sidelined with a left elbow injury, and Tyler Glasnow, who is out with a back injury. As a result, the team's usual six-man starting rotation has been disrupted.
In fact, in the game against the Los Angeles Angels on the 16th, which was Snell's scheduled start day, the Dodgers sent Will Klein to the mound as the starter and used a total of eight bullpen pitchers to shut out the opponent.
