Charlie Barnes remains in the Los Angeles Dodgers' organization after clearing waivers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers will continue to have Charlie Barnes available as organizational pitching depth after the veteran left-hander cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The move comes after Barnes was designated for assignment to make room for the return of right-hander Landon Knack from the 60-day Injured List. Although Barnes is no longer on the 40-man roster, his future with the organization has not been finalized.
Having previously been outrighted during his career, he has the option to decline the assignment and become a free agent.
Limited opportunities in the majors
Barnes joined the Dodgers in May after being claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs, giving Los Angeles another experienced arm capable of providing innings when needed.
His stint in the majors featured only a handful of appearances.
He began his Dodgers tenure with a pair of scoreless innings before running into trouble during his final outing, allowing seven earned runs against the Athletics on July 1 while serving in a relief role.
He was sent back to Triple-A the next day and later removed from the 40-man roster.
Even with the uneven results, Barnes served as one of several pitchers the Dodgers turned to as they managed injuries and workload throughout the season.
Long road back to the majors
Before returning to Major League Baseball this year, Barnes rebuilt his career overseas with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization.
The left-hander spent three seasons as a reliable member of Lotte's rotation, recording ERAs in the mid-3.00s while throwing more than 150 innings in each campaign from 2022 through 2024.
He later spent time in the Cincinnati Reds organization after signing a minor-league contract but never earned a call-up before moving to the Cubs and eventually landing with Los Angeles.
Barnes' only previous major league experience before this season came with the Minnesota Twins in 2021.
Waiting on the next step
Barnes has built his career around command and a varied pitch mix rather than overpowering velocity, giving him the flexibility to fill multiple pitching roles.
Whether that next opportunity comes with the Dodgers or another organization remains to be seen.
If Barnes accepts the outright assignment, he could once again provide valuable depth should Los Angeles need additional innings later this season. If not, he is free to explore opportunities elsewhere.
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