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Player Outlook
Austin Barnes has worked behind the plate for the Dodgers for nearly a decade, but aside from a few short spurts of opportunity, he's never ascended beyond a backup role. Will Smith's emergence as one of the game's best catchers over the past four campaigns has resulted in Barnes' playing time increasingly diminishing, and the latter's 200 plate appearances last season were his fewest (aside from the truncated 2020 campaign) since 2016. Barnes' biggest strength is his defense and skill working with the team's pitching staff, but his offense has fallen to such a degree (he slashed a miserly .180/.256/.242 with just two homers and a career-low 8.7 percent walk rate last season) that he may have trouble holding onto a roster spot much longer. That's especially true given the Dodgers' minor-league depth at the position -- Diego Cartaya is nearing his big-league debut, and both Dalton Rushing and Thayron Liranzo are waiting in the wings as well.

Fantasy Stats

Year fpts
Fantasy Points
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Fantasy Points per Game
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Runs
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Home Runs
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Runs Batted In
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Base on Balls (Walk)
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Stolen Bases
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Batting Average
2024 .000
2023 69.51.2 15 2 11 17 2 .180
2022 139.52.3 31 8 26 27 2 .212
3y Avg. 108.51.6 25 5 20 21 2 .204
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Fantasy News

  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Returns to action Wednesday

    Barnes (back) will start at catcher and bat eighth Wednesday in the Dodgers' Cactus League game against the White Sox. Barnes was scratched from Tuesday's lineup because of a back issue, but he's back behind the plate a day later. The 34-year-old is again slated to be Will Smith's understudy at catcher this season for the Dodgers.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Battling back tightness

    Barnes was scratched from the Dodgers' lineup ahead of their Cactus League game against the Angels on Tuesday due to back tightness, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. Manager Dave Roberts didn't specify how severe Barnes' injury is, but it is apparently enough to prevent the 34-year-old backstop from playing Tuesday. Chris Okey will start behind the dish instead while Barnes recovers.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Hits homer in Sunday's win

    Barnes went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Mariners. Barnes has gone 4-for-21 (.190) across six games in September, though the catcher may get some more time over Will Smith since the Dodgers clinched the NL West on Saturday. For the year, Barnes has two homers, 11 RBI, 11 runs scored, two stolen bases and a .171/.238/.232 slash line through 182 plate appearances. He will likely be a clear backup once the postseason begins.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Returns to lineup Thursday

    Barnes (head) will start at catcher and bat ninth Thursday versus the Marlins. Barnes took a backswing to the head in Tuesday's series opener at Miami, but he's cleared the concussion protocol and is back in action for Thursday's series finale. Will Smith will take a turn as the Dodgers' designated hitter.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Clears concussion protocol

    Barnes cleared concussion protocol Wednesday after getting hit by a backswing Tuesday versus the Marlins, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. Barnes has a contusion on the side of his head where Nick Fortes accidentally struck him with his bat in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday, but the 33-year-old backup catcher could return to action as soon as Thursday. Will Smith is behind the plate for the Dodgers on Wednesday.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Has bruised temple

    Barnes said he felt fine after exiting Tuesday's game against Miami upon getting hit by Nick Fortes' backswing, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports. Barnes said he has a bruise on his left temple and will be re-evaluated ahead of Wednesday's game. The 33-year-old has been serving as the backup to Will Smith all season, and he will likely return to the Dodgers' lineup in a couple days if everything checks out after further testing.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Exits game early

    Barnes was removed from Tuesday's game against Miami with an apparent injury, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. Barnes was struck in the head by Nick Fortes' backswing during the seventh inning, and he was later replaced behind the dish by Will Smith. The Dodgers will take a look at Barnes and presumably evaluate him for a concussion, but he should be considered day-to-day until more information is available.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Swats first homer of campaign

    Barnes went 2-for-3 with a solo home run Thursday in a 1-0 victory against Milwaukee. Barnes chose a prime time for his first long ball of the season, as his solo shot to left field in the seventh inning accounted for the lone run in LA's 11th straight win. The catcher added a single in the contest, giving him his first multi-hit performance in 43 games this season. Though he's valued for his work with pitchers as Will Smith's backup behind the plate, Barnes has endured a difficult campaign with the bat, slashing a measly .136/.216/.176 over 141 plate appearances.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Picks up start for day game

    Barnes will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. With top backstop Will Smith resting for the day game after the night game, Barnes will be getting a turn behind the plate. Barnes will be making just his sixth appearance of July after going 2-for-17 with four strikeouts over his prior five games this month.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Knocks in run in return

    Barnes went 1-for-3 with a walk and one RBI in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the White Sox. Barnes had been out for nearly a week tending to an injured right wrist. The backup catcher has hit safely in five of his last 11 games dating back to May 8, but his playing time will remain limited behind Will Smith. Barnes owns a poor .111/.207/.136 slash line with five RBI, four runs scored and two stolen bases over 28 contests this season.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Back in lineup Wednesday

    Barnes (wrist) is hitting ninth and catching versus the White Sox on Wednesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. Barnes will return to the lineup for the first time since Thursday when he was plunked by a pitch on his right wrist. Will Smith is getting Wednesday off while Barnes handles backstop duties.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Remains out of lineup

    Barnes (wrist) remains out of the lineup Tuesday versus the White Sox. Barnes hasn't appeared in a game for the Dodgers since taking a fastball off his right wrist Thursday. Will Smith is catching and batting third in Tuesday night's series opener against Chicago.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: X-rays negative

    X-rays on Barnes' right wrist came back negative Thursday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports. Barnes left Thursday's game against the Reds after taking a fastball to the hand, but he appears to have avoided a major injury. It's possible the Dodgers sideline Barnes for a few days to ensure he's fully-healed his next time out, but he should be able to avoid the IL.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Sent for X-rays on hand

    Barnes was sent for X-rays on his right hand Thursday, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports. The veteran catcher took an Ian Gibaut fastball off his hand in the ninth inning of the Dodgers' 6-0 win at Cincinnati on Thursday and, manager Dave Roberts acknowledged afterward that it "didn't look good, didn't sound good." Los Angeles will have to make a 40-man roster move for a new backup to Will Smith if Barnes requires an IL stint.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Leaves after HBP

    Barnes exited Thursday's game against the Reds after taking a pitch off his right hand, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports. Barnes got struck by an Ian Gibaut fastball in the top of the ninth inning and was replaced at catcher by Will Smith to begin the bottom of the ninth. It could have just been a precautionary move with Los Angeles leading 6-0 and only three outs to get. Barnes finished the day 1-for-4 with an RBI double and a run scored.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Heads back to bench

    Barnes is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports. Though the Dodgers activated Will Smith (concussion) from the 7-day injured list Friday, he served as a designated hitter in his first two games back in action. As a result, Barnes continued to pick up starts behind the plate, but he'll head back to the bench Sunday with Smith deemed ready to make his return as the Dodgers' starting catcher. Assuming Smith sees most of his action at catcher moving forward, Barnes looks like he'll see his role get scaled back.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Steals second bag

    Barnes went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Thursday's loss against the Pirates. Barnes led off the fifth inning with a base hit before swiping his second bag of the year, matching his total from all of last season. The 33-year-old catcher has been the Dodgers' primary option behind the plate with Will Smith (concussion) sidelined. While Barnes can run a bit better than a typical catcher, he hasn't offered much with the bat, going just 3-for-38 with no extra-base hits to start the year.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Resting Wednesday

    Barnes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pirates. After starting behind the dish in each of the Dodgers' last three games, Barnes will get a breather Wednesday while Austin Wynns receives a turn behind the plate. Barnes should be back in the lineup for Thursday's series finale in Pittsburgh, but he'll likely revert to the No. 2 catcher's role by the weekend, when Will Smith (concussion) should be ready to return from the 7-day injured list.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Ejected Sunday

    Barnes was ejected from Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks in the bottom of the fifth inning for arguing with the home plate umpire, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports. Barnes went 0-for-2 to begin Sunday's matchup and was tossed in the fifth inning since he wasn't happy with the strike zone while behind the plate. It seems unlikely that the ejection will result in further discipline, so the 33-year-old should remain available as the Dodgers' No. 2 catcher moving forward.
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  • Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Catching for Kershaw again

    Barnes is catching and hitting ninth for Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA reports. The 33-year-old will serve as Clayton Kershaw's personal backstop again. Barnes is hitless in his five at-bats to begin the 2023 campaign.
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