Former Dodger Barnes joins Giants on minor-league deal

Barnes slashed .214/.233/.286 across 13 games with the Dodgers this season before being designated for assignment and eventually released.

Another former longtime Dodger has found a new home after being released earlier this season.

Austin Barnes will remain in the NL West, this time having inked a minor-league deal with the rival San Francisco Giants on Friday, with Jeff Young of Fansided being the first to report via X. The Giants reassigned Barnes to the Arizona Complex League on Monday, and the goal is to work his way up through their minor league system, adds Mark Polishuk of MLBTradeRumors.com.

Barnes only appeared in 13 games with the Dodgers before being designated for assignment, slashing .214/.233/.286 with two RBI across 44 plate appearances. He entered the 2025 season as the longest-tenured position player for the Dodgers.

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Hyeseong Kim has been a difference maker in the Dodgers’ lineup since making his big league debut, yet the rookie is having difficulty finding breathing room to earn more playing opportunities.

The Dodgers have given Kim just one start over their last six games, where he went hitless in Saturday’s loss to the Kansas City Royals. Dave Roberts ensured that Kim will receive ample opportunities down the line, but is aware of that the team’s game-plan whether against right or left-handed hitting has excluded Kim from the fold recently, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

“As we look out, I think because we feel better about Tommy playing the outfield, giving Teo a day, giving Andy a day here or there just kind of opens things up for Hyeseong,” Roberts said Sunday. “We had a bunch of lefties too. We have to dig a little bit into our roster, who’s on our roster, who we’re facing.”

Justin Wrobleski had his best performance at the big league level on Sunday against Kansas City, tossing six shutout innings in relief while racking up six strikeouts and earning the win.

Wrobleski has shown strong signs of growth ever since allowing eight runs to the Washington Nationals on April 8, and Dave Roberts views the left-hander as an impact arm for the big league squad, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

“He’s changed a lot,” Roberts said of the team’s evaluation of Wrobleski. “We’ve always valued him and thought a lot of him as far as the talent. But right now, he’s getting major league hitters out … And in the spirit of getting opportunities while earning them, he’s doing that.”

Miguel Rojas left Sunday’s game after the seventh inning due to discomfort in his left index finger after jamming his hand into the second base bag attempting a stolen base. Rojas followed up with Dave Vassegh of SportsNet LA after Sunday’s win, and shot down the possibility of his finger being dislocated.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking, because I did the same play and I fractured the other one in 2022… I’m glad that it wasn’t dislocated. It was just a really bad jam and I think I escaped a bad situation there.”