Matt Beaty Announces Retirement After Five MLB Seasons

Matt Beaty, a former Major League Baseball player known for his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, announced his retirement on Instagram on Monday, August 24. Beaty, who played for four MLB teams across five seasons, took part in the Dodgers’ victorious 2020 World Series championship run.

In his Instagram post, Beaty reflected on his career, stating, “I believe it’s time to finally officially announce that I’m entering the next chapter of my life.” He mentioned that it had been almost two years since his last at-bat and that he faced many questions about continuing his career. Ultimately, he concluded that it was time to move on from baseball.

“Walking away is hard,” Beaty admitted, adding, “deep down, I think I knew my last game was my last game. I just held onto the hope that it wouldn’t be.”

Beaty, aged 33, played 305 games with the Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and Kansas City Royals. During his tenure with the Dodgers, he participated in 15 postseason games, including three games during the 2020 World Series when the Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays.

In addition to his MLB career, Beaty appeared in 53 minor league games with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization in 2024 before being released in September of that year. He has remained a free agent since then.

Highlighting his career achievements, Beaty played from 2019-21 with the Dodgers, achieving a .262/.333/.425 slash line (100 OPS+). As a rookie, he set personal bests with 268 plate appearances, nine home runs, 46 RBIs, 19 doubles, a .458 slugging percentage, and a .775 OPS.

After reaching career highs in 120 games, a .363 on-base percentage, and a 104 OPS+ in the 2021 season, the Dodgers traded him to the Padres in exchange for pitcher River Ryan. Ryan was later traded to the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Tarik Skubal in August 2023.

Over the next two seasons, Beaty played in 50 MLB games but did not replicate his Los Angeles success with other teams.

“Baseball gave me friendships I cherish, experiences, failures, successes, perspective, and a mindset that will stay with me for the rest of my life,” Beaty expressed in his farewell note on Instagram.