President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman explained why the Dodgers chose to designate longtime catcher Austin Barnes for assignment.

Teammates continue to heap praise on Barnes, who persisted as the backup catcher for one of baseball's best teams for parts of 11 seasons — until Wednesday, when the Dodgers designated Barnes for assignment and promoted top prospect Dalton Rushing.

At the same time as Rushing's new beginning, the end came for Austin Barnes. The longest-tenured position player on the team was designated for assignment after 11 seasons and two World Series championships. Barnes, the backup catcher to Will Smith, was hitting .214 with three doubles and two RBI.