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The Los Angeles Dodgers just designated Austin Barnes for assignment. It was done to make room for the promotion of top prospect Dalton Rushing. Someone had to leave, and they decided to move on from the journeyman backup catcher.
Kenley Jansen was a teammate of Barnes for seven years. He functioned as the primary closer in Los Angeles, and while Barnes has often been the backup, he's been Jansen's catcher on plenty of occasions.
As such, Jansen was quick to react to the news. The current Los Angeles Angels pitcher shared Barnes' somber Instagram montage and said:
Trending
"[You're] the best!!!"
Barnes played all of his 612 career games with the Dodgers. He has a career slash line of .223/.322/.338 with 35 homers and 162 RBIs. Jansen spent most of his time with the Dodgers, but he also played for the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and now the Angels.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts speaks on Austin Barnes replacement
The Dodgers are moving on from Austin Barnes. Dalton Rushing is their backup catcher for the time being, and he is expected to start today for the first time in his MLB career behind the plate. He played in Spring Training with the MLB club, though.
Barnes' replacement comes highly touted. Dave Roberts, Dodgers manager, is very excited about what they're getting, even if it means they have to lose Barnes. He said, via ESPN:
"The bat has always played. That's always been his carrying tool. The receiving has gotten much better. The arm strength is there, the relationship with the pitchers has continued to grow. And all the reports that we've got on the Triple-A side, just improvement all around."
He added:
"And so with the maturity that he has, the performance, we just felt that it was a right time. Unfortunately we've got to move on from a player that's such a professional like Austin Barnes."
Barnes will become a free agent when he clears waivers. Teams can claim him now, though.
