Although the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Sunday, it appeared to come at somewhat of a cost as Austin Barnes was removed in the sixth inning due to what the team called left groin soreness.
Barnes grabbed at his left leg as he rounded second base and limped back to the bag, which prompted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and a trainer to check on him. Barnes appeared to assure them he was fine, and he remained in the game at the time.
Following his team’s 11-7 win, Roberts said the Dodgers weren’t yet certain of the severity of Barnes’ injury. The team has not provided additional details but a roster move appears to be on the horizon.
According to Ron Cervenka of ThinkBlueLA.com, the Dodgers are poised to call up catching prospect Will Smith for the first time in his young career:
BREAKING: @Think_BlueLA has learned from a reliable source that the Dodgers have called up catcher @will_smith30.
— Ron Cervenka (@Think_BlueLA) May 27, 2019
Although the Dodgers have not made a formal announcement, Smith was not included in the Triple-A Oklahoma City lineup for their Monday afternoon game.
Selecting Smith’s contract can be done without clearing any additional hurdles as the Dodgers currently have 39 players on their 40-man roster. Placing Barnes on the 10-day injured list would of course clear the way for Smith to be placed on the active roster.
This past February, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman touted Smith as already being capable of not only catching in Majors but winning a Gold Glove. Friedman believed the bulk of his development needed to come at the plate.
The 24-year-old is in his second season with Oklahoma City. He’s hit .290/.404/.551 with eight doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 28 RBI through 38 games with the affiliate thus far in 2019.
One of Smith’s starts included catching Clayton Kershaw while he was on a rehab assignment. The three-time Cy Young Award spoke highly of the young catcher, who previously worked with MLB pitchers as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training this year and last.
Smith went into this season ranked a top-10 prospect in the Dodgers farm system by several publications. He reportedly was among the players coveted by the Miami Marlins in J.T. Realmuto trade talks over the winter.
