Dodgers Cut Veteran in Shocking Move

J.P. Hoornstra | May 14, 2025

Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) and third baseman Max Muncy (13) and second baseman Miguel Rojas (72) and manager Dave Roberts (30) and first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) and catcher Austin Barnes (15) during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Globe Life Field. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

On the same day the Dodgers decided to bite the bullet with top prospect Dalton Rushing, they did the same with veteran catcher Austin Barnes.

The longest-tenured position player on the team has been designated for assignment, the Dodgers announced in advance of Wednesday's game against the Athletics at Dodger Stadium.

Thank you Austin for all the contributions you made in Dodger blue and helping to bring two championships to Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/QvSi9J4612

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 14, 2025

Barnes, 35, was acquired by the Dodgers at the 2014 trade deadline in the seven-player blockbuster trade that also brought Kiké Hernández to Los Angeles and sent Miguel Rojas to the Miami Marlins. This season he was hitting .214 as the backup to starting catcher Will Smith.

From 2015-16, Barnes shuffled back and forth between the majors and Triple-A. Since 2017, however, he had been the Dodgers' entrenched backup catcher — first to Yasmani Grandal and Russell Martin, then to Smith.

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Barnes had made three trips to the injured list, and endured a brief demotion to the minors in 2019. Otherwise, his presence was a constant — practically a given over the last eight seasons.

The AUSTIN BARNES LOVE is REAL on the Live Stream right nowhttps://t.co/rka7KLHjEK

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) May 14, 2025

Barnes made his bones as a hard-nosed catcher, willing to get dirty, frame pitches with the best of his peers, and ably call a game for one of the league's best pitching staffs. Although never a slugger, Barnes' ability to draw walks and put the ball in play endeared him to the organization as a viable backup.

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In 11 major league seasons, all with the Dodgers, Barnes slashed .223/.322/.338. He never drew more than 262 plate appearances in a single season.

In his best season at the plate, 2017, Barnes hit .289 with a .402 on-base percentage. His 138 OPS+ that year, combined with an October slump by Grandal, made him the primary backstop in the National League Championship Series and World Series.

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Barnes appeared in 44 postseason games with the Dodgers, collecting rings in 2020 and 2024. He caught the final out of the 2020 World Series, and appeared in five games against the Tampa Bay Rays as the Dodgers broke their 32-year championship drought.

A native of Riverside, Barnes was originally drafted by the Marlins in the ninth round of the 2011 MLB Draft out of Arizona State.

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That the Dodgers waited as long as they did to cut Barnes speaks to his value in the organization — and their apparent faith in Rushing to earn more at-bats than they could give Barnes as Smith's backup.

Although Barnes will be difficult to replace as a game-caller and pitch-framer, Rushing's left-handed bat ought to represent a meangingful upgrade. He could also help give Smith more opportunities to rest.

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Last year, Smith saw his OPS drop to .626 after the All-Star break, down from .838 in the season's first half. Smith's hitting in the first half (.889) and second half (.701) followed a similar pattern in 2023.

The wisdom in Wednesday's move might be measured as much by Smith's performance as Rushing's.

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