| Matt Sauer | |
| Team: | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Birth Date: | 21 January 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Santa Maria, California, U.S. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | March 31 |
| Debutyear: | 2024 |
| Debutteam: | Kansas City Royals |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Statyear: | 2024 season |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 0–0 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 7.71 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 9 |
| Teams: | |
Matthew David Sauer (born January 21, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals.
Sauer attended Righetti High School in Santa Maria, California.[1] [2] [3] As a senior, he went 9–1 with a 0.98 earned run average (ERA) and 142 strikeouts.[4] He committed to the University of Arizona to play college baseball.[5]
The New York Yankees selected Sauer in the second round, with the 54th overall selection, of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[6] [7] Sauer officially signed with the Yankees on June 24.[8] and was assigned to the rookie–level Gulf Coast League Yankees, where he spent the whole 2017 season, posting an 0–2 record with a 5.40 ERA in innings pitched.[9] In 2018, he pitched with the Low–A Staten Island Yankees where he went 3–6 with a 3.90 ERA in 13 starts and 67 innings.[10]
Sauer spent 2019 with the Single–A Charleston RiverDogs, but pitched only innings due to injury.[11] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] Sauer split the 2021 season between the Single–A Tampa Tarpons and the High–A Hudson Valley Renegades, appearing in 23 games (21 starts) and going 5–6 with a 4.69 ERA and 127 strikeouts over innings.[13]
Sauer began the 2022 season with Hudson Valley and was promoted to the Double–A Somerset Patriots in August.[14] He struck out 17 batters in a game on August 25.[15] Sauer finished the year making 22 starts and logging a 4.54 ERA with 134 strikeouts across 109 innings pitched.[16] He spent the 2023 season with Somerset also briefly appearing for Hudson Valley, and the rookie–level Florida Complex League Yankees. In 14 games (13 starts) for Somerset, Sauer registered a 6–5 record and 3.41 ERA with 93 strikeouts across 74 innings pitched.[17] After the 2023 season, Sauer pitched for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League.[18]
On December 6, 2023, the Kansas City Royals selected Sauer from the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft.[19] On March 23, 2024, manager Matt Quatraro announced that Sauer had made Kansas City's Opening Day roster[20] as a relief pitcher who can pitch multiple innings.[21] In 14 appearances for the Royals, he struggled to a 7.71 ERA with 9 strikeouts across innings pitched. On May 20, Sauer was designated for assignment following the promotion of Sam Long.[22]
On May 26, 2024, the Royals returned Sauer to the New York Yankees organization. He was subsequently assigned to the Triple–A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.[23] In 27 appearances split between Scranton and the Double–A Somerset Patriots, he accumulated a 3–2 record and 6.12 ERA with 30 strikeouts across innings pitched. Sauer elected free agency following the season on November 4.[24]
On December 16, 2024, Sauer signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, that contained an invitation to major league spring training.[25]