The Los Angeles Dodgers shockingly designated longtime catcher Austin Barnes for assignment Wednesday, and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman explained why.

The Dodgers called up top prospect Dalton Rushing to make his Major League debut, and in a corresponding move, DFA’d Barnes.

In many ways, the transaction was a surprise given Barnes had spent 11 seasons with the Dodgers and was considered a leader in the clubhouse.

“Obviously Austin has been a huge part of this organization for a long time, he’s been in the middle of a lot of really big moments for us,” Friedman said to The Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris. “His impact has been significant. So it was one of the harder decisions.”

In the case of Rushing, the 24-year-old catcher had waited several years to join the big league team, but with Will Smith and Barnes on the roster, playing time likely would have been a long shot.

“Rush has obviously been on our radar for a long time in terms of when and how to introduce him to the major league team,” Friedman said. “I think with the improvements we’ve seen year over year, coupled with being in a tight division race … I think it falls in line with our consistent message of doing anything and everything we can to win.”

The Dodgers ultimately felt it was best to give Rushing an opportunity now as he continues to develop into the franchise’s next catcher.

“The last mile of his development is helping lead a major league staff,” Friedman said. “We felt like now is the right time to give him that opportunity, and for us to learn some things about him that you can’t know until they’re at the major-league level, and for him to experience the speed of game here, which will be insightful for all of us in terms of the next set of things to work on.”

The harsh reality of baseball is the sport is also a business, and the departure of Barnes highlighted the organization’s intentions to win another ring in 2025.

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