Who Are the Dodgers Top Options if Austin Barnes Has to Go on Injured List

Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes was forced to exit the Dodgers’ 6-0 win over the Reds on Thursday after getting hit on the right hand by a pitch.

Barnes was in an immense amount of pain, and admitted after the game that it did not feel very good. Fortunately, the x-rays came back negative, and Barnes said that he was already feeling a little better after the game. However, if the injury doesn’t respond quick enough where Barnes doesn’t think he’ll be able to play in the next few days, the Dodgers may be forced to make a roster move to add another catcher to the roster.

So who could that be?

Dodgers No. 1 prospect Diego Cartaya is the most well-known Dodgers catcher not on the roster, but manager Dave Roberts already confirmed he would not be an option, nor should he as he’s still working on his game in Double-A. So who else could it be?

The most obvious option would be Hunter Feduccia, who’s hitting relatively well in Triple-A this season. The 26-year-old is slashing .246/.365/.408 with five home runs and 30 RBI in 37 games. He seems like the top candidate if the Dodgers needed to add a backup catcher for any amount of time.

Another option could be Patrick Mazeika, the former Mets catcher who’s also been in Triple-A this year with the Dodgers. In 28 games, Mazeika is slashing .221/.315/.295 with one home run and nine runs batted in. The numbers make it clear that Feduccia is the better option, but we’ll see if he ends up being the internal choice.

Finally, the Dodgers could choose to look externally, similar to what they did earlier in the year when they acquired Austin Wynns when Will Smith went on the injured list.

Obviously it would be hard to predict that move — Wynns is still in Colorado with the Rockies — but the Dodgers could always find someone if they don’t want to bring Feduccia or Mazeika up.

Fortunately, it does seem like they aren’t going to have to make any of those moves, as, at least for now, Barnes seems to be okay. But we’ll have to see how he progresses over the weekend, and if the Dodgers are forced to make a move.

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