The Los Angeles Dodgers designated their longest-tenured position player for assignment on Wednesday in Austin Barnes. In a corresponding move, top prospect Dalton Rushing was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to bring his notorious bat to the lineup.
Read more: Dodgers Designating Austin Barnes for Assignment to Call Up Dalton Rushing in Shocking Move
Manager Dave Roberts said it was a “tough conversation” surrounding the veteran’s departure from the team.
“Austin is a guy that’s far beyond the numbers,” Roberts said to reporters Wednesday. “He’s a glue guy. He held guys accountable. He was tough. He had a very innate ability to get big hits, and he was respected across the board.”
As for the future of L.A.’s catcher role, the team felt Rushing was doing too well to pass up the opportunity of letting him waste his talents in the minors.
“I just think for us right now, with what Dalton Rushing is doing on the performance side, it’s an opportunity to challenge him,” said Roberts.
Barnes, the Fullerton, CA native, was batting just .214 this season with 14 strikeouts in 42 at-bats. His team has recently shown that there is a need for more of a boost on offense and will look to try and achieve that through Rushing.
Barnes first appeared in a Dodgers uniform in 2015 after being acquired in a deal that sent Dee Gordon and Miguel Rojas, among other pieces, to the Miami Marlins, and brought in the catcher and Kiké Hernández, among others players in the trade.
Little did the Dodgers know at the time that Barnes would be the longtime backup catcher for over a decade.
Over his career — with all 11 seasons in MLB being in Los Angeles — Barnes batted .223 with an OPS of .660. Although never a home run hitter, he had 35 in a Dodgers uniform, and an extremely important one in the 2020 World Series.
With the Fall Classic tied at one game apiece, Barnes ended up hitting a long ball to separate the two teams further and break the series tie. Barnes proved to be a pivotal player in both the 2020 World Series and in the 2024 regular season on the way to another title.
Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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4 Responses
Taylor and or Conforto or muncy if he doesn’t hit better soon should go.
They are not going anywhere this year unless they get traded in an economical trade. The Dodgers are not going to take on any additional salary. With Taylor they have NO LEVERAGE. He doesn’t hot and is owed the balance of 16 million dollars. Unless someone is willing to take that on he is here for the duration of the season. Conforto is owed the balance of 17 million and Muncy the balance of 12 million. The Dodgers will wait and see on both. Conforto is starting to hit… Muncy is the third baseman. It’s getting close to the time where he heats up. If not, at the end of the year they will decline his option and he can become a free agent. Or he starts to hit and they pick it up. The Dodgers have to run a business and shelling out 60 million for a has-been like Nolan Arenado IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. They are already paying 110% tax on every contract dollar over the limit and they are definitely OVER THE LIMIT. Next year it will be 125%. A trade is the only option and someone has to want these guys and want to trade or have something to trade. Maybe Colorado would take Muncy, Taylor and Conforto… They would automatically be the best players on that loser of a team but who would they have that the Dodgers would want? No body that they could afford to give up and their minor league teams are a dog-pound. It is what it is and there will be no sweeping changes that many of you are clamoring for.
It is time to bring up Ryan Ward. He is batting .320 with 9 home runs. He has been with the AAA Oklahoma Comets for 3 years now. He has earned a call up. Dodgers call him up or trade him. Ryan Ward deserves a chance at MLB. Send Conforto, Outman and Taylor to the minors or release them and send up Ryan Ward. Out of those 3 Ward has the most value. Send him to a team that needs a good player. Don’t let him rot in the minors.
I’ll miss Barnsey – he was never a world-beater, but he was a gamer, a lunch pail sort of teammate who could be counted on the give his best. Rushing probably is an upgrade offensively but I’m sad to see Barnes go.