Austin Barnesâ tenure as a San Francisco Giant is over before it ever began.
The veteran catcher was released by the organization on Friday, a little more than a month after agreeing to a minor-league contract.
Barnes, 35, appeared in 10 games with Triple-A Sacramento during his brief tenure as a Giant, hitting just .212 with two RBI and seven runs scored in 37 at-bats.
Barnes struggled earlier this season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, slashing .214/.233/.286 with two RBI in 13 games. He way released in May after 11 seasons as a Dodger.
Why Did the Giants Release Austin Barnes?
Deciding to go younger at catcher, the Giants signed Diego Cartaya to a minor-league deal. The 23-year-old Cartaya was a consensus top-20 prospect across baseball as recently as 2023 when he was with the Dodgersâ organization.
Cartaya stayed with the Dodgers through 2024, ascending as the organizationâs top prospect in 2022 and 2023 per MLB Pipeline, before he was traded to the Minnesota Twins. But his stock soon plummeted.
After going 5-for-59 with 40 strikeouts for Triple-A St. Paul, Cartaya was released by the Twins in July.
The Giants (56-56) opted to sell at last weekâs trade deadline, dealing away outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and relief pitchers Tyler Rogers and Camilo Doval for prospects.
Now prioritizing the future, the Giantsâ front office clearly was no longer interested in an aging â and underperforming â backstop.
Could Austin Barnes Return to the Dodgers?
During his time with Los Angeles, Barnes was well known as the personal catcher for three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw.
The defensive-minded Barnes hit just .223 with 35 home runs and 162 RBI in 1,516 career at-bats as a Dodger. His OPS fell to .519 this season before Los Angeles designated him for assignment, clearing a path for rookie Dalton Rushing to take over as Will Smithâs backup.
The 24-year-old Rushing has been quiet at the plate, slashing .193/.261/.526 with one homer and 11 RBI in 83 at-bats. Still, the Dodgers seem inclined to give him more chances to settle in as the summer moves on.
If not in Los Angeles, Barnes should latch on somewhere because of experience and reputation as a teammate and pitch-caller.
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