The Giants released Barnes on Friday.
After his long tenure with the Dodgers came to an end May 20, Barnes caught on with the Giants on a minor-league deal about a month later. The 35-year-old backstop debuted for Triple-A Sacramento shortly before the All-Star break but didn't gain much momentum in his bid for a promotion to the big leagues, slashing just .212/.297/.212 over 10 games before the Giants cut him loose. Barnes may look to catch on with another organization before the end of the season, though retirement may also be a possibility at this point.
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Giants' Austin Barnes: Inks minors deal
Rotowire
The Giants signed Barnes to a minor-league contract Sunday, Jeff Young of FanSided reports.
The Dodgers released Barnes last month after he slashed .214/.233/.286 with three extra-base hits, two RBI and four runs scored across 44 plate appearances. Barnes will serve as organizational depth behind Patrick Bailey and Andrew Knizner.
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Austin Barnes: Becomes free agent
Rotowire
The Dodgers released Barnes on Tuesday.
Barnes is now a free agent after passing through waivers unclaimed. The veteran catcher should be able to land a deal with a new team in short order, although he might have to go to the minor leagues first.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Pushed off 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Dodgers designated Barnes for assignment Wednesday.
Barnes will cede his spot on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster to Dalton Rushing, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 35-year-old has played sparingly this season and slashed only .214/.233/.286 in 13 contests. He had been the Dodgers' longest-tenured position player.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Set to lose 40-man roster spot
Rotowire
The Dodgers are expected to designate Barnes for assignment Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Barnes had been the team's longest-tenured position player but will lose his 40-man roster spot with the Dodgers set to promote prospect Dalton Rushing from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 35-year-old Barnes is making $3.5 million this season and is slashing only .214/.233/.286 in 13 contests.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Racks up three hits Wednesday
Rotowire
Barnes went 3-for-5 with a run in a 12-7 win against Miami on Wednesday.
Barnes got the start at catcher for the resting Will Smith and finished as one of six Dodgers with multiple hits in the offensive onslaught. Barnes has gotten just 33 plate appearances this season as Smith has dominated work behind the plate, so the former's three-hit effort perked his season batting average up from .185 to .250. It would likely take Smith missing time for Barnes to have any fantasy value in all but the deepest of formats.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Back on bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Barnes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Barnes will head back to the bench after he made his third start of the season in Tuesday's 8-2 loss, going hitless with two strikeouts in four at-bats. The veteran backstop is unlikely to play more than once or twice a week throughout the season if top catcher Will Smith maintains health.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Brought back for 2025
Rotowire
The Dodgers exercised Barnes' $3.5 million club option for 2025 on Saturday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Barnes slashed .264/.331/.307 with 11 RBI across 156 plate appearances in 2024 -- good enough for the Dodgers to keep him around as the backup catcher behind Will Smith. While Barnes is likely to break spring training as Los Angeles' reserve backstop, a drop in production from the 34-year-old could eventually result in prospects Dalton Rushing or Hunter Feduccia taking his spot on the roster.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Notches steal Sunday
Rotowire
Barnes went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Rockies.
Barnes went 2-for-6 with a walk over two games after he was activated from the injured list Friday. The catcher ends the regular season with a .264/.331/.307 slash line, one home run, three steals, 11 RBI and 12 runs scored over 156 plate appearances this year. He is likely to continue operating in a reserve role behind Will Smith in the postseason.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Activated from IL
Rotowire
The Dodgers activated Barnes (toe) from the 10-day injured list Thursday, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.
Barnes fractured his left big toe Sept. 15 after fracturing the same toe in August. However, the fractures occurred in different spots of the toe. With Barnes returning from injury, Hunter Feduccia was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Placed on IL with fractured toe
Rotowire
The Dodgers placed Barnes on the 10-day injured list Monday due to a fractured left big toe.
The fracture is to the same toe that Barnes previously fractured in August. While he spent the minimum 10 days on the IL in his first stint, the expectation this time around is that Barnes will be sidelined until the postseason, per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. Hunter Feduccia was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill in for Barnes as the Dodgers' backup catcher behind Will Smith.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: X-rays show new fracture in toe
Rotowire
Barnes said Monday that X-rays showed a fracture in his left big toe in a different spot than his previous fracture, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Barnes missed the minimum amount of time when he was placed on the 10-day injured list on Aug. 19 with the same injury. The 34-year-old catcher is expected to go on the IL again, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, but it's unclear whether Barnes will miss more than the minimum 10 days this time around.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Exits early Sunday
Rotowire
Barnes exited Sunday's contest with Atlanta in the fifth inning with a left big toe contusion.
Barnes was forced to the leave the game before his second at-bat with a familiar injury. The catcher had a fracture in the same toe in August, and it's unclear how long he could be unavailable for. Will Smith replaced him behind the plate and will continue to get the lion's share of work at catcher moving forward.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Three hits in blowout loss
Rotowire
Barnes went 3-for-4 with one RBI in Sunday's 14-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Barnes' three-hit game was a small bright spot in an otherwise awful performance for the Dodgers. The backup catcher has gone 5-for-8 over three contests since he returned from a fractured big toe sustained in mid-August. Through 139 plate appearances, Barnes is slashing .266/.336/.315 with one home run, 11 RBI, 10 runs scored and two stolen bases. He is unlikely to challenge Will Smith for a starting role, but Barnes should be expected in the lineup any time the Dodgers have a day game immediately after a night game.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Solid performance in return
Rotowire
Barnes went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Orioles.
Barnes doubled in his second trip to the plate, sending home Gavin Lux and Chris Taylor to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. The backstop then added a leadoff single in the eighth before stealing second and coming around to score. It marked Barnes' first multi-hit performance since July 25, while the stolen base was just his second of the campaign. He was making his return to the lineup following a 10-day stint on the injured list due to a broken toe. Prior to Thursday's two-hit effort, he was batting .052 (1-for-19) in August.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Back from IL
Rotowire
The Dodgers reinstated Barnes (toe) from the 10-day injured list Thursday.
Barnes landed on the injured list Aug. 19 due to a fracture of his left big toe, though he will now return to the active roster following a minimum-length stay. The 34-year-old backstop has slashed .241/.318/.284 with eight RBI across 131 plate appearances while serving as Will Smith's backup, and his return will push Hunter Feduccia back to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Likely to return Thursday
Rotowire
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Barnes (toe) is slated to be activated from the injured list Thursday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
As expected, Barnes will miss the minimum amount of time after being placed on the IL on Aug. 19. The backup catcher fractured his left big toe in a game against the Cardinals, and Hunter Feduccia has been filling in behind starting catcher Will Smith in Barnes' absence. Feduccia could be sent back to the minors upon Barnes' activation.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Expected to miss minimum time
Rotowire
Barnes (toe) is expected to miss the minimum 10 days while on the injured list, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Barnes is dealing with an injured big toe on his left foot, but he'll be able to avoid a prolonged stint on the IL. The catcher will be replaced by Hunter Feduccia as the primary backup option behind Will Smith behind the plate.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Returns to bench role
Rotowire
Barnes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.
Barnes picked up his 32nd start of the season in Saturday's 4-1 win, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts while filling in for a resting Will Smith. With Smith back in action for Sunday's series finale, Barnes will return to his usual bench role.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Filling in for resting Will Smith
Rotowire
Barnes will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Reds.
Barnes will start for the first time in a week while top backstop Will Smith rests for the day game. Over 45 plate appearances this season, Barnes is hitting .189 with zero home runs or stolen bases.
