Austin Barnes DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Dodgers will designate catcher Austin Barnes for assignment after they called up top prospect Dalton Rushing from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, league sources told The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya. Barnes was the team's longest-tenured position player. With Will Smith still the team's starting backstop, Rushing's clearest path to playing time in his first taste of the big leagues will probably be in the outfield with both Teoscar Hernandez (groin) and Tommy Edman (ankle) currently on the injured list. The light-hitting Barnes had been limited to just 13 games to start the 2025 season and was batting .214 (9-for-42) with no home runs, three doubles, two RBI, four runs scored, one walk and 14 strikeouts. The 35-year-old missed time with injuries in 2014 and ended up with just 156 plate appearances, his fewest since 2016.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are exercising their 2025 club option on catcher Austin Barnes, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. In his tenth season as a Los Angeles Dodger, Barnes posted a .264/.331/.307 slash line with one home run, 11 RBI, and three stolen bases in 54 games, serving as the clear backup to Will Smith. Fantasy managers should expect the 34-year-old to return to a similar role in the 2025 campaign. Barnes should not be on your fantasy radar heading into the offseason due to his sparse playing time and limited offensive output throughout his MLB career.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes (toe) was activated off the 10-day injured list on Thursday afternoon. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers optioned backstop Hunter Feduccia to Triple-A Oklahoma. Feduccia made only two starts over the past two weeks and went 2-for-10. Barnes was sidelined since September 15 with a toe fracture. Before the injury, the veteran catcher held a .261/.327/.306 line with three doubles, one home run, and 11 RBI. Fantasy managers should expect Barnes to remain as the backup catcher over the final weekend of the regular season and during the postseason, while Will Smith sees the vast majority of starts behind the plate.