The Los Angeles Dodgers turn to Paul Gervase to stabilize the bullpen, optioning Charlie Barnes after a rocky outing to give the surging right-hander a fresh chance in relief.
It may not have been a groundbreaking move, but the Los Angeles Dodgers announced they would be recalling right-handed pitcher Paul Gervase for left-handed pitcher Charlie Barnes.
Barnes has been optioned back to Triple-A while Gervase gets a chance to replace a lefty with a 7.50 ERA here in 2026.
Barnes, 30, started the year with the Chicago Cubs, but he made just one appearance for them before heading to LA. Overall, he sports a minus-0.3 career WAR but that has come in an extremely limited sample size.
Now, it's Gervase's time to make a name for himself. The 26-year-old has eight big-league appearances in his young career, but five of those were in 2025 with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Dodger Give Gervase Another Shot
When looking at Gervase's numbers compared to Barnes, it's a no brainer to go with the former. Not only is Gervase younger, but he's been much more consistent even though his ERA was 4.32 last season. Here in 2026, he's put that behind him and sports a 1.80 ERA with a positive WAR (0.1) in two apperances.
Gervase last pitched in the big leagues on Friday, May 22. Prior to that, his only other appearance in a Dodgers uniform this season came on Saturday, May 9.
In his season debut back on May 9, Gervase was tasked with throwing three innings. Eating up those middle innings is the name of the game, and he did just that with an impressive five strikeouts. He needed to throw 50 pitches to record nine outs, but he did so while only allowing four hits and one earned run.
Roughly two weeks later, Gervase made his first road appearance of the season where he threw two scoreless innings. This time around he allowed a walk and didn't have a single strikeout, but he recorded those six outs in just 21 pitches and only allowed one hit.
Barnes Could Earn Future Opportunities
It's not like the Dodgers designated the South Carolina native for assignment, so he has to know that his big league aspirations aren't over just yet.
All-in-all, Barnes got picked apart in his July 1 outing and that led to this decision. He wasn't technically the starter, but he appeared in the second inning and the Dodgers rode him out from there.
Barnes gave up an astonishing 12 hits in seven innings, letting seven runs score in the process. If that's not alarming enough, he gave up a trio of home runs and that's the second time he's done so in 2026.
Join the Community
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
