Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed reliever Tanner Scott has transformed into a primary competitive anchor for the team's bullpen during the 2026 Major League Baseball season.
This turnaround follows a highly turbulent debut year with the franchise in 2025.
Scott has assumed a de facto leadership role for the unit while Edwin Díaz recovers from an elbow injury.
He recently helped guide the Dodgers bullpen through a notable 38-inning scoreless streak, reversing the narrative of his initial performance after signing a four-year contract.
Early Career and Development
Scott originally entered the major leagues after being selected in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, where he spent five seasons.
While demonstrating high velocity, he struggled with control and posted a 5.17 ERA alongside a 14.7 percent walk rate by 2021.
Baltimore general manager Mike Elias traded Scott and Cole Sulser to the Miami Marlins in April 2022.
Under Miami pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr., Scott simplified his mechanics and increased his first-pitch strike rate from roughly 54 percent to nearly 70 percent, eventually becoming an All-Star closer.
The San Diego Padres acquired Scott at the 2024 trade deadline for pitching prospects Robby Snelling and Adam Mazur.
Scott maintained a 1.18 ERA at the time and recorded four scoreless postseason appearances against the Dodgers in the 2024 National League Division Series, striking out Shohei Ohtani in each outing.
Following his subsequent signing with Los Angeles, Scott experienced significant command issues and mechanical flaws during the 2025 regular season.
The organization's attempts to make him more aggressive stripped away his pitch deception, leading to multiple blown saves and home runs allowed.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes later revealed that Scott had played through a lingering lower-body injury for a large portion of the 2025 season.
His regular-season struggles culminated in consecutive walk-off home runs surrendered in September.
The lowest point of his season occurred just before Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, when the Dodgers removed Scott from the active roster so he could undergo a medical procedure to treat a lower-body abscess.
