Austin

Barnes

It’s way too early to draw any firm conclusions, but the social media chatter hasn’t been overly positive as Bichette transitions to the hot corner in his Mets debut. His defense will be picked apart throughout spring training but there are few reservations from an offensive standpoint, which is the primary concern for fantasy managers. New York has already confirmed that he won’t take over at shortstop temporarily while Francisco Lindor recovers from a hamate injury. The other notable developments here are fellow offseason acquisition Marcus Semien in the leadoff spot with Juan Soto heading over to left field. Here is the full lineup: Semien (2B), Soto (LF), Bichette (3B), Tyrone Taylor (CF), Ronny Mauricio (SS), MJ Melendez (RF), Austin Barnes (C), Jose Rojas (1B) and Chris Suero (DH).

The 36-year-old backstop saw just 44 plate appearances with the Dodgers during the 2025 campaign before being released in May. He then signed with the Giants at the end of June and spent the remainder of the season at the Triple-A level. He’ll add quality catching depth for the Mets and can be ignored for fantasy purposes.

The Giants really haven’t gotten much in terms of production out of the catcher position from Patrick Bailey and Andrew Knizner this season, so bringing in the veteran backstop seems to make sense as a depth addition. Barnes hit just .214/.233/.286 with zero homers and two RBI in 44 plate appearances before he was cut loose by the Dodgers.

Barnes went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment last week. The 35-year-old veteran backstop was the longest-tenured position player on Los Angeles’ roster. There’s a chance he latches on somewhere else in a backup role at some point in the near future.

Call this a surprise. The Dodgers are adding top prospect Dalton Rushing to the roster, and they’ll move on from their long-time backup backstop in Barnes to make room on the roster. The 35-year-old will likely see interest on the waiver wire, but it’s not hard to imagine him staying in the organization as depth if he does go unclaimed. Will Smith will receive the bulk of starts behind the plate, but this clears a spot for Rushing to make a start or two behind the plate while also playing in the outfield.

Smith is getting an extra day off to rest and recover after banging his left wrist on a play at the plate during Tuesday’s back-and-forth shootout at Wrigley Field when he also launched a solo homer against Cubs ace Shota Imanaga. It’ll be Austin Barnes handling the catching duties on Wednesday night in Chicago. He should be ready for Friday’s series opener against the Pirates.

The 30-year-old backstop has started each of the team’s first three games, so it’s not hugely surprising to see him get a night off. He should be back in there for Saturday’s series finale. Austin Barnes will start in his place on Friday night and will bat ninth against former battery-mate Jack Flaherty.

Smith suffered the initial injury last summer when he rolled his ankle on an awkward slide, adding that he’s surprised it’s lingered this long. The notion that the ongoing issue will require some in-season maintenance and treatment, seems to hint towards top prospect Dalton Rushing potentially playing a prominent role at some point this season. There isn’t much of a path to a spot on Los Angeles’ season-opening roster with veteran Austin Barnes still in the fold, but any sort of extended absence would result in Rushing getting plenty of at-bats. It’s a situation fantasy managers should monitor closely since Rushing projects as an immediate impact contributor once he gets an extended opportunity.

A no-brainer of sorts, even with the Dodgers having some young talent at the catching position in the minors that could help in 2025. Barnes got on at a .331 clip, and while there’s no power in his bat as seen in one total homer and a .307 slugging mark, his work with the pitching staff is well worth that contract and then some as the backup to Will Smith.

Barnes was placed on the injured list with a fractured toe 10 days ago. Now he’s back as the backup catcher with Hunter Feduccia optioned to the minors to make room on the active roster.