Dodgers add Andy Ibáñez and Ryan Fitzgerald to 40-man roster

For weeks, the Dodgers had been linked with big-name free agents like Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette and Cody Bellinger.

On Friday, however, the club made a pair of relatively more minor moves in an effort to bolster its infield depth.

The team agreed to a one-year contract with 32-year-old veteran Andy Ibáñez, a source confirmed, and also claimed 31-year-old journeyman Ryan Fitzgerald off waivers from the Minnesota Twins.

Fitzgerald’s waiver claim pushed the club’s 40-man roster back to capacity, meaning the team will need to make another roster move before finalizing its signing of Ibáñez (which was first reported by baseball journalist Francys Romero). The financial terms of Ibáñez’s deal, which is pending a physical, were not immediately clear.

The right-handed-hitting Ibáñez has a career .254 batting average over five big-league campaigns, but is coming off a down season with the Detroit Tigers in which he slashed .239/.301/.352 with just four home runs and 21 RBIs in 91 games. His 81 OPS+ was a career-low for a year he’d played more than 40 games.

With Ibáñez eligible for arbitration after earning $1.4 million in 2025, the Tigers declined to tender him a contract at the end of the season, making him a free agent.

The Cuban native is a strong defender, primarily at second and third base. He also has experience at first base, shortstop and the corner outfield spots.

That versatility could be useful for the Dodgers, who are uncertain if Tommy Edman will be ready for the start of the season after undergoing ankle surgery this winter. Kiké Hernández, who remains a candidate to re-sign with the club later this winter, would also likely be unavailable for the start of the season if he indeed returns while he recovers from an offseason elbow surgery.

Fitzgerald, a seven-year minor-leaguer who finally made his MLB debut with the Twins last season, figures to provide further depth insurance, while also giving the Dodgers another left-handed-hitting option in the organization.

A former undrafted prospect out of Creighton University who began his pro career in independent league ball, Fitzgerald batted just .196 in 24 games with the Twins in 2025, but did swat four home runs with nine RBIs in his 53 plate appearances. Over 708 career minor-league games, he has batted .258 with a .770 OPS –– including a .277 average and .837 OPS in triple-A last year.