Austin Barnes's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes (toe) exited Sunday's game in the fifth inning after taking a foul ball off his right big toe. Barnes fractured the same toe just last month, so this is a very unfortunate incident. Manager Dave Roberts said he expects Barnes to hit the IL, and that minor league catcher Hunter Feduccia is on his way to the big league club. While it isn't a big deal for fantasy managers, it could mean additional playing time for Will Smith as the Dodgers look to get into bye position in the NL playoff race.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that the plan is to activate backup catcher Austin Barnes (toe) on Thursday, the first day he's eligible to come off the 10-day injured list. Barnes was placed on the IL with a fractured left toe last Monday, but he took simulated at-bats against minor-league pitching at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday and is ready to go. When the 34-year-old veteran backstop rejoins the big-league roster, Hunter Feduccia will most likely be sent back to the minors. Barnes has played in only 44 games for the Dodgers this year as Will Smith's backup and has provided next to nothing offensively, slashing .241/.318/.284 with a .602 OPS, one home run, two doubles, eight RBI and eight runs scored in 131 trips to the plate.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to place backup catcher Austin Barnes (toe) on the 10-day injured list on Monday after he took a hard foul ball off his left toe in the third inning of Sunday's win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, according to a source. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers are recalling catching prospect Hunter Feduccia back up to the big leagues for catching depth behind Will Smith. Barnes has been useful for his defense as a backup but is hitting only .241 with one homer and eight RBI in 44 games played in 2024. Feduccia appeared in one game for the Blue earlier this year against the division-rival San Diego Padres and had only one at-bat. The left-handed hitter has hit .282 with six home runs and 46 RBI in his time at Triple-A Oklahoma City. It's unclear if Barnes suffered a fractured toe, but if so, he certainly won't return in August.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes (back) is returning to Cactus League action on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox. Barnes will do the catching and hit eighth in the batting order. A back injury caused the Dodgers to scratch Barnes from the spring lineup on Tuesday, but it obviously wasn't a serious issue and he's back in there a day later. The 34-year-old veteran backstop will enter the 2024 regular season as the primary backup to All-Star Will Smith this year, leaving him almost no fantasy appeal. He hasn't played in 100 games in a season since 2018 and hit a weak .180/.256/.242 with two home runs, 11 RBI and 15 runs scored in 59 games played for the Blue in 2023. Barnes is a career .219 hitter in nine big-league seasons with only 34 homers and 149 RBI in 545 games played.