Barnes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Though the Dodgers activated Will Smith (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Friday, he served as a designated hitter in his first two games back in action. As a result, Barnes continued to pick up starts behind the plate, but he'll head back to the bench Sunday with Smith deemed ready to make his return as the Dodgers' starting catcher. Assuming Smith sees most of his action at catcher moving forward, Barnes looks like he'll see his role get scaled back.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Steals second bag
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Barnes went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Thursday's loss against the Pirates.
Barnes led off the fifth inning with a base hit before swiping his second bag of the year, matching his total from all of last season. The 33-year-old catcher has been the Dodgers' primary option behind the plate with Will Smith (concussion) sidelined. While Barnes can run a bit better than a typical catcher, he hasn't offered much with the bat, going just 3-for-38 with no extra-base hits to start the year.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Resting Wednesday
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Barnes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates.
After starting behind the dish in each of the Dodgers' last three games, Barnes will get a breather Wednesday while Austin Wynns receives a turn behind the plate. Barnes should be back in the lineup for Thursday's series finale in Pittsburgh, but he'll likely revert to the No. 2 catcher's role by the weekend, when Will Smith (concussion) should be ready to return from the 7-day injured list.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Work picking up, but sits Wednesday
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Barnes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mets.
Since Will Smith (concussion) last played April 12 before going on the 7-day injured list a few days later, Barnes has started at catcher in four of the Dodgers' past six games. Austin Wynns will get the nod behind the dish Wednesday, but Barnes should remain the Dodgers' preferred option at the position until Smith is back from the IL, likely no earlier than Friday.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Ejected Sunday
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Barnes was ejected from Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks in the bottom of the fifth inning for arguing with the home plate umpire, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Barnes went 0-for-2 to begin Sunday's matchup and was tossed in the fifth inning since he wasn't happy with the strike zone while behind the plate. It seems unlikely that the ejection will result in further discipline, so the 33-year-old should remain available as the Dodgers' No. 2 catcher moving forward.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Catching for Kershaw again
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Barnes is catching and hitting ninth for Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA reports.
The 33-year-old will serve as Clayton Kershaw's personal backstop again. Barnes is hitless in his first five at-bats to begin the 2023 campaign.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Gets start with Kershaw on mound
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Barnes is catching and hitting ninth for Saturday's contest against the Diamondbacks, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
As expected, Barnes is hitting ninth and behind the plate with Clayton Kershaw on the mound, so Will Smith will get the night off. Barnes provides plenty of value for the Dodgers with his defense, but not much fantasy value due to his lack of offensive upside.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Wraps quiet spring slate
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Barnes went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in Tuesday's exhibition contest against the Angels.
Barnes slashed just .182/.250/.227 for the Dodgers this spring, though he hit much better for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, posting a .278/.409/.389 slash line over five games. Barnes isn't regarded as a major offensive threat, but he should provide stability behind the plate as the backup to Will Smith for the Dodgers again this season.
Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Three hits in Tuesday's matinee
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Barnes went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks during the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader.
The veteran backstop is better known for his defense than his offense, but Barnes kick-started a game-winning rally in the eighth inning with his seventh homer of the season. It's his fourth multi-hit performance in seven September games, a stretch during which he's batting a surprising .417 (10-for-24) with two doubles, two home runs, three RBI and seven runs scored.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Homers in loss
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Barnes went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Giants.
Barnes got the Dodgers within two runs with his seventh-inning blast. The backup catcher is still seeing limited playing time, but he's posted five multi-hit efforts in 10 games since the start of August. Barnes is up to a .214/.327/.400 slash line with seven homers, 23 RBI, 26 runs scored and two stolen bases through 165 plate appearances this year. Unless something happens to Will Smith, Barnes is unlikely to see much extra playing time.
Barnes went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and two additional RBI in a 12-6 victory against the Brewers on Wednesday.
Los Angeles racked up 13 hits and 12 runs in the contest, but Barnes' sixth-inning two-run shot was the team's only long ball. The backup backstop also knocked in a run with a fielder's choice in the third inning and notched an RBI single in the fourth. Barnes is batting a paltry .189 on the season, but he's had a strong August with a .333/.391/.667 slash line, two homers and six RBI over six contests.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Swats solo homer
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Barnes went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in a 2-1 victory against the Brewers on Wednesday.
Barnes started in place of No. 1 catcher Will Smith, and he produced the first run of the contest with a solo shot to center field in the sixth inning. It was the first home run for the backstop since he went deep against Philadelphia on May 21. Barnes has had a rough season at the plate but has been better of late, slashing .280/.333/.440 over his past seven games.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Back with team
Rotowire
Barnes (personal) was activated from the bereavement list Monday.
Barnes was away from the team for a few days while tending to a personal matter, but he rejoined his teammates in Milwaukee and will resume his role as the backup catcher behind Will Smith.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Away for family emergency
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Barnes was placed on the family medical emergency list Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Players may spend between three and seven days on the list, which is also referred to as the bereavement list. That means Barnes should be back sometime between Monday and Friday of next week. Tony Wolters was called up to serve as Will Smith's backup behind the plate until then.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Collects two hits Tuesday
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Barnes went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI in a 9-5 win over San Francisco on Tuesday.
Barnes came into the contest batting a paltry .160 on the campaign, but he contributed to a big offensive night for Los Angeles with his first multi-hit performance since May 13. The backup backstop collected his first extra-base hit in over a month with an RBI double in the eighth inning. Barnes has managed a .305 OBP thanks to a 14.2 percent walk rate, but he's otherwise endured a rough season at the plate.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Extends deal with L.A.
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Barnes agreed Sunday with the Dodgers on a two-year, $7 million contract extension, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
The deal will prevent Barnes from hitting the open market this winter and will keep him on the Dodgers' books through the end of the 2024 campaign. While serving as the backup to No. 1 backstop Will Smith this season, the 32-year-old Barnes has slashed .188/.320/.375 with four home runs, two stolen bases, 14 runs and 12 RBI across 97 plate appearances.
