Former Dodgers World Series Champion Released by NL West Rival After Disappointing Season

The San Francisco Giants released longtime Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes from their Triple-A affiliate Friday.

Barnes signed a minor league deal with the Giants June 27 after the Dodgers shockingly designated him for assignment and released him in May to bring in top prospect Dalton Rushing. Barnes played 13 games in the Giants' organization, posting a .531 OPS without an extra base hit.

Before the Dodgers released him, Barnes played 13 games and batted .214 in 42 at-bats. The Florida Marlins drafted him in 2011, and sent him over to the Dodgers the trade which sent Dee Gordon, Dan Haren and Miguel Rojas to Miami in 2014.

Barnes has played all of his 11 MLB seasons in Dodger blue, making 612 appearances for the team. In his time with LA, he has a .223 batting average and .660 OPS with 35 homers and 162 RBIs. He won the World Series with the team in both 2020 and 2024.

The Dodgers could still find a use for Barnes on a minor league contract, as his familiarity with the Dodgers pitching staff — especially Clayton Kershaw — could prove useful if either Will Smith or Rushing were to be unavailable for a reasonable stretch of time.

That possibility is unlikely, however, as the Dodgers brought in catcher Ben Rortvedt at the deadline in exchange for Hunter Feduccia, giving them a younger option in Triple-A.

The Dodgers are currently leading their division and aren't likely for a big shake up any time soon as the NL West race is heating up. The Padres are three games back and have won seven of their last 10, setting up an interesting matchup come the middle of August.

The Dodgers begin a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday at 7:10 p.m. PT, where they will look to give themselves more of a cushion at the top of the division.