LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers today selected the contract of catcher Will Smith and placed catcher Austin Barnes on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain.
Smith, 24, will have his contract selected for the first time in professional career and his next appearance will be his Major League debut. The backstop played in 38 games for Oklahoma City, batting .290 (40-for-138) with eight homers and 28 RBI. Smith was originally drafted by the Dodgers in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Louisville. In four minor league seasons in the Dodger organization, he has a combined to hit .244 (231-for-948) with 43 homers and 154 RBI.
Barnes, 29, will make his first career trip to the injured list. In 40 games this season, Barnes is batting .231 (27-for-117) with seven doubles, four homers and 15 RBI. On the last road trip, Barnes hit safely in four of five games, batting .438 (7-for-16) with four RBI. In his five seasons with the Dodgers, Barnes has accumulated a .238 (142-for-596) batting average with 16 homers and 70 RBI.