Dodgers fans have been waiting forever for corresponding Dalton Rushing roster move

The Dodgers hit fans with a stunning one-two punch on Wednesday, when they promoted No. 1 prospect Dalton Rushing and DFA'ed veteran catcher Austin Barnes — their longest-tenured position player — in the same breath.

Rushing didn't immediately get his major league debut on Wednesday, but he's expected to take over what were formerly Barnes' duties and set up behind the plate 1-2 times a week on Will Smith's days off. The Dodgers posted a tribute to Barnes, a two-time World Series winner with the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw's personal catcher, with the simple caption "Thank you, 15."

With the DFA, the Dodgers are now eating $3.5 million they owe him for 2025 (though that's chump change for LA), and it's an unceremonious end for a guy who has meant a lot to this team for his experience, presence in the clubhouse, and his ability to work with pitchers.

However, it was really only a matter of time. Barnes has hardly raised his numbers above replacement level since 2017, and his playing time has just declined more and more as he's gotten older and Smith has gotten better. Letting go of Barnes was the only move that made sense.

Dodgers finally dump longest-tenured position player Austin Barnes as Dalton Rushing is on the verge of his MLB debut

At the time of the DFA, Barnes had only made 12 starts behind the plate to Smith's 30, and was batting .214 with a .518 OPS, with zero homers and two RBI.

Still, fans have been calling for a while now for Barnes' removal from the roster; it felt like the only thing keeping him there was sentimentality. The Dodgers take good care of their veterans, and on some level that's admirable, but it was time to trim some fat.

If Barnes clears waivers, he has the option to reject an assignment to Triple-A and become a free agent, where it's likely the best he could expect to get would be a minor-league deal. While that sentimentality would make it tough to watch a two-time World Series winner with the Dodgers suit up with another team, there's a lot of work to do in LA with Rushing.

Rushing represents the bright future of the Dodgers' organization, and Barnes hasn't done that in a long time. The only thing to do here was to let Barnes go and see what Rushing can do.