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.
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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.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Racks up four RBI in win
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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
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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.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Records steal Friday
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Barnes went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 5-1 win over the Padres.
Barnes has logged a stolen base in each of his last two games after not swiping a bag all year. The catcher also supplied an RBI on a groundout in Friday's win. He appeared in just eight games in June, going 2-for-22 (.091) with nine walks. Barnes is slashing .190/.323/.380 with four home runs, 12 RBI and 14 runs scored in 96 plate appearances. Will Smith is likely to start most games behind the dish, but when he moves to designated hitter as he did Friday, Barnes can fill in.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Swats fourth homer
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Barnes went 1-for-1 with a solo home run and scored an additional run in Saturday's 7-4 victory against Philadelphia.
Barnes came into the game as a pinch runner in the eighth inning and came around to score on a Gavin Lux single. Barnes remained in the contest and got a chance to bat in the ninth, lifting a solo homer to left field. Though Will Smith is firmly entrenched as the Dodgers' primary backstop, Barnes has hit well this season, slashing .267/.353/.578 with four homers, nine RBI and a 5:8 BB:K.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Racks up three hits Friday
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Barnes went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI in a loss to the Phillies on Friday.
Barnes started for the third time in five days with primary catcher Will Smith nursing a pectoral issue. The backup backstop responded with his first three-hit effort of the campaign. Barnes has seen limited action this season, but he has hit well when given the chance, compiling a .286/.359/.600 slash line with three homers, eight RBI and seven runs through 39 plate appearances.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Swats third homer
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Barnes went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in a 7-0 win over the Cubs in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.
He launched a solo shot off Drew Smyly in the fourth inning before wrapping up the scoring in the contest with a two-run single in the eighth. Barnes is taking full advantage of his limited opportunities behind Will Smith this season, and the 32-year-old backstop has a .972 OPS and three homers in only 25 plate appearances.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Displaying power early on
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Barnes went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout Wednesday against the Twins.
Barnes was on the back end of three consecutive homers for the Dodgers in the eighth inning. He now has a pair of bombs early this season, which is notable considering he only left the yard six times across 225 plate appearances in 2021. Barnes will yield the majority of the playing time behind the plate to Will Smith, though he's made the most of his opportunity early on in the campaign.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Homers in season debut
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Barnes went 2-for-3 with a home run in Saturday's loss against the Rockies.
The backstop made his season debut Saturday and took German Marquez deep in the top of the third inning. He was the only player to record multiple hits for the Dodgers in this game, but he's not expected to become the regular catcher for the Dodgers.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Back in spring lineup
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Barnes (head) will start at catcher and bat seventh in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Rockies, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Just as manager Dave Roberts suggested Wednesday would be the case, Barnes is back in action following a two-day breather after he was struck in the catcher's mask by a foul tip in Monday's game against the White Sox. Barnes passed all concussion tests administered after exiting Monday's contest, and after experiencing no setbacks in the two days that followed, he'll be ready to handle his normal duties behind the plate. He'll likely form a battery with Clayton Kershaw on the days the veteran lefty pitches, but beyond that, Barnes may only get an additional start or two per week while No. 1 backstop Will Smith is at full health.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Clears concussion testing
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Barnes passed all concussion testing and is considered day-to-day, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Barnes was fortunate to avoid the concussion after he exited Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox upon taking a foul tip to his catcher's mask. Roberts suggested that the veteran backstop would likely remain out of the lineup for a couple more days before checking back in behind the dish by the end of the week.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Exits after foul tip
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Barnes left Monday's exhibition against the White Sox early after taking a foul tip to his catcher's mask, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Skipper Dave Roberts noted after the game that Barnes was feeling "a little foggy" after the foul tip, so the team decided to exercise caution by removing him. He'll be considered day-to-day moving forward and will be re-evaluated Tuesday, per Toribio.
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Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Swats sixth homer
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Barnes went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in a 4-3 win over Atlanta on Wednesday.
Barnes gave primary catcher Will Smith a breather and contributed to the win with a third-inning solo shot to left field. The long ball was his second in his past three games and sixth overall this season. Though Barnes and Smith opened the campaign in a semi-timeshare, the latter's offensive performance -- Smith leads all NL catchers with 22 homers -- has propelled him to a clear-cut role as the team's top option behind the plate. Barnes has tallied 195 plate appearances this season to Smith's 414.
