Dodgers call up catcher Dalton Rushing, designate Austin Barnes for assignment
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The Dodgers are making a major midseason shuffle to their roster.
On Wednesday, top prospect Dalton Rushing was called up from the minor leagues and longtime backup catcher Austin Barnes was designated for assignment, the team announced, closing the book on Barnes’ two-time title-winning tenure in Los Angeles while opening a new one on Rushing’s highly anticipated MLB career.
It’s no surprise that Rushing, a 2022 second-round pick out of Louisville, is getting a crack at the majors. Over four minor-league seasons, the catcher slugged his way through the farm system by batting .277 with 54 home runs, 185 RBIs and a .931 OPS. With triple-A Oklahoma City this season, he was hitting .308 in 31 games and ranked seventh in the Pacific Coast League with a .938 OPS. Even this spring, manager Dave Roberts said Rushing’s bat was big-league ready.
Dalton Rushing won 2024 Minor League Player of the Year and has earned positive reviews from the Dodgers, but he is still working to earn his MLB debut.
But the Dodgers’ decision to effectively part ways with Barnes represents more of a surprise — albeit, understandable — decision.
Barnes, 35, was the longest-tenured position player on the roster, his time with the Dodgers going back further than everyone except friend and battery mate Clayton Kershaw. He was in his 11th season with the team, after they picked up his $3.5-million club option in the offseason. And he was a two-time World Series champion — behind the plate for their drought-snapping 2020 title — with veteran expertise at calling games, and above league-average metrics for framing pitches and blocking balls in the dirt.
However, Barnes was also batting just .214 this season, with a .514 OPS that ranked ahead of only Chris Taylor among Dodgers hitters with at least 20 at-bats. His arm had become a liability behind the plate, throwing out just one of the 14 runners who attempted a steal against him. And unlike the left-handed-hitting Rushing, he didn’t form an ideal platoon partner with starting catcher Will Smith, with both backstops batting from the right side.
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The 10-year, $140-million contract extension Smith signed with the Dodgers in March 2024, of course, left Rushing’s long-term future with the Dodgers in some question.
With the starting catcher’s job seemingly locked up for the next decade, the Dodgers experimented with Rushing at first base and left field last season.
But, while Rushing has continued to play those other two positions occasionally with Oklahoma City, the Dodgers’ front office made it clear they still saw his future foremost as a catcher — so much so, they had him lead catcher’s meetings during spring training, in what was a preview of what he’ll now experience with the Dodgers’ meticulous game-planning process.
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