Dodgers' Tucker Barnhart: Joins Dodgers on MiLB deal
Rotowire
Barnhart agreed to a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Wednesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
The Dodgers already have Will Smith and Austin Barnes as their catching options at the MLB level and both are healthy, so Barnhart looks as though he'll represent little more than organizational depth for Los Angeles. However, with the active roster expanding from 26 to 28 men in September, Barnhart could be a candidate to join the big club during the final month of the season as a third option behind the dish. Prior to being let go by the Cubs earlier this month, Barnhart slashed .202/.285/.257 with one home run in 123 plate appearances on the season.
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Tucker Barnhart: Heads to free-agent market
Rotowire
The Cubs released Barnhart on Sunday.
Barnhart cleared waivers after being designated for assignment and has now officially hit the free-agent market. The veteran catcher managed just a .541 OPS across 44 games for the Cubs this season.
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Cubs' Tucker Barnhart: Designated for assignment
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The Cubs designated Barnhart for assignment Saturday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Barnhart already wasn't receiving much playing time as the third catcher on the Cubs' depth chart, and now he'll lose his spot on Chicago's 40-man roster. The 32-year-old backstop has slashed .202/.285/.257 through 123 plate appearances this season. Miles Mastrobuoni was recalled from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.
Barnhart is starting at catcher and batting ninth in Sunday's game against the Yankees.
Barnhart will start the final game before the All-Star break with Yan Gomes getting a breather. The former is struggling in a reserve role with a .189 batting average and .508 OPS across 36 games, and he's not really on the fantasy radar at this point, particularly with Miguel Amaya also on the roster as another option behind Gomes.
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Cubs' Tucker Barnhart: Hits first 2023 home run
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Barnhart went 1-for-3 with a walk and solo home run in Tuesday's win over the Pirates.
Barnhart's third-inning home run was his first of the season and just his second in the last two years. The veteran catcher has seen his playing time dwindle behind Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya. With just a .503 OPS and two players ahead of him on the depth chart, Barnhart is off the fantasy radar at the moment.
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Cubs' Tucker Barnhart: Seeing scant work behind Gomes
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Barnhart remains out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Astros.
Barnhart had already been occupying the smaller side of a timeshare at catcher with Miguel Amaya early last week, but the former has seen his playing-time outlook become worse with the return of Yan Gomes (concussion) from the 7-day injured list. Even with Amaya now back in the minors, Barnhart has now sat out five times in the Cubs' last six games.
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Cubs' Tucker Barnhart: On bench Sunday
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Barnhart is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Barnhart has a .464 OPS in 45 plate appearances and will take a seat Sunday for the third time in the past four games. Top catcher Yan Gomes (concussion) is on the injured list, and rookie Miguel Amaya is 1-for-5 with two RBI since his promotion Tuesday.
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Cubs' Tucker Barnhart: Sits in second straight
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Barnhart is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Marlins.
Barnhart had started behind the dish in the Cubs' first two games since Yan Gomes suffered a head injury Monday that was later diagnosed as a concussion, but rookie Miguel Amaya will now make a second consecutive start Friday while Barnhart retreats to the bench. Though Barnhart is the more battle-tested backstop and the superior defensive option, his puny .449 OPS over 42 plate appearances has opened the door for Amaya to perhaps become part of a timeshare at the position while Gomes is on the 7-day injured list.
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Cubs' Tucker Barnhart: On bench versus righty
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Barnhart is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Barnhart had drawn starts behind the dish on the last two occasions the Cubs opposed right-handed starting pitchers, but he'll take a seat Sunday against Marlins righty Bryan Hoeing, perhaps because the two teams are facing a quick turnaround for the series finale, which starts at 12:05 p.m. ET. Yan Gomes will catch for starting pitcher Justin Steele on Sunday.
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Cubs' Tucker Barnhart: Sitting against lefty
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Barnhart is not in the starting lineup Friday against Miami.
Barnhart will take a seat as the Cubs face off against left-hander Jesus Luzardo, with Yan Gomes behind the plate and batting eighth. Barnhart has produced just two hits over his last 18 at-bats while striking out nine times, so it's possible that Gomes, who's batting .257 with two homers and seven RBI over 35 at-bats versus righties this year, sees his workload increase.
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Cubs' Tucker Barnhart: Not in lineup Wednesday
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Barnhart is not in the lineup Wednesday versus the Padres.
Yan Gomes will catch and bat eighth with right-hander Michael Wacha on the mound for San Diego. It's the third straight start behind the plate for Gomes, though the previous two starts were versus lefties. He has greatly outperformed Barnhart offensively and may be capturing a larger share of the catcher platoon in Chicago.
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Cubs' Tucker Barnhart: Sits against lefty
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Barnhart is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres.
Barnhart will be on the bench for the second straight game, with both absences coming with the Cubs facing left-handed pitchers. Though Yan Gomes has logged 25 more plate appearances this season, Barnhart appears to have taken hold of a strong-side platoon role at catcher. Twenty-six of Barnhart's 28 plate appearances to date have come versus right-handed pitching, while Gomes has made only 31 of his 53 plate appearances against righties.
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Cubs' Tucker Barnhart: Sitting out Sunday
Rotowire
Barnhart is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
With Yan Gomes getting the call against Los Angeles starter Clayton Kershaw, Barnhart will retreat to the bench. The veteran hasn't done much with the bat so far, slashing just .200/.250/.200 with an RBI and a run scored across 25 at-bats. He should continue to split playing time with Gomes, though Luis Torrens, who is starting as the DH on Sunday, could also earn a larger role moving forward.
Barnhart is starting at catcher and batting ninth in Saturday's game against the Brewers.
Yan Gomes started on Opening Day, but he'll head to the bench in favor of Barnhart on Saturday. The two veterans are expected to split catching duties this season. Barnhart struggled offensively this spring, however, and could be slightly behind Gomes in the pecking order at the moment. Gomes will likely bump Barnhart back to the bench Sunday.
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Cubs' Tucker Barnhart: Struggles continue Friday
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Barnhart, who went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in Friday's Cactus League game against the White Sox, is now batting just .071 this spring.
Barnhart has one hit in 14 Cactus League at-bats and has struck out three times. The catcher only batted .221 over 94 games with the Tigers last season, so the Cubs weren't expecting a ton of offense from the offseason addition, though a slight uptick in production would be welcome. Barnhart figures to split time behind the plate with Yan Gomes, though the latter could emerge as the primary option if he hits better.
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Cubs' Tucker Barnhart: Signing with Cubs
Rotowire
Barnhart agreed to a one-year, $3.25 million contract with the Cubs on Thursday, which includes a $3.25 million player option for 2024, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Barnhart spent the 2022 campaign with Detroit and had the worst offensive season of his career with a .554 OPS in 94 games. The defensive-minded backstop should platoon with Yan Gomes in Chicago following the departure of Willson Contreras.
