The Dodgers announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Charlie Barnes. Righty Landon Knack has been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding active roster move. To open a 40-man spot, catcher Will Smith has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Barnes, 30, was claimed off waivers from the Cubs in May. The Dodgers shuttled him between Triple-A and the big leagues a few times after that. Earlier this month, he was designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and elected free agency but the Dodgers re-signed him to a minor league deal.
His return to the roster today is likely about getting a fresh arm into the relief mix. The Dodgers played a doubleheader against the Yankees on Sunday. Yoshinobu Yamamoto went the distance in the first game but then the Dodgers deployed a bullpen game in the nightcap, using seven different arms. Knack was one of the guys who didn’t pitch in that game but he covered two innings last night.
Barnes effectively replaces Knack as the long man, at least for now. Around the various transactions he has been involved in this year, Barnes has posted an unsightly 7.50 earned run average in a small sample of 12 innings split between the Cubs and Dodgers. He has a much more palatable 4.39 ERA in 55 1/3 Triple-A innings this year. He spent 2022 to 2025 in the KBO League in South Korea, posting a 3.58 ERA over there. He still has options and could be easily sent back to the minors after eating some innings.
As for Smith, it’s not a shock to see him transferred. Neck inflammation put him on the 10-day IL on June 11. His 60-day count is retroactive to that date, so he will be eligible for reinstatement in early August. He was struggling to make progress so the team recently shut him down in the hopes that a lack of activity could help him feel better. The club doesn’t expect him back until the middle of August even in a best-case scenario.
Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images
