Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes completed the first of what is expected to be two rehab appearances with the team’s Advanced Single-A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on Tuesday night at LoanMart Field. According to the 29-year-old Fullerton, CA native and 2009 ninth-round draft pick (by the Miami Marlins), his five innings of play went off without a hitch.

“It was kind of a weird little thing. In Pittsburgh, when I was coming around the base, kind of just a sharp little pain, but yeah, it’s behind me,” Barnes said about his strained left groin which he suffered on May 26. “I think we did a real good job by attacking it and moving past it.

“It was nice to get out here and run around and testing me for sure. Going first-to-home, my cardio is a little down,” he added with a chuckle. “But no, it was good though. These guys are a good group.”

Test it he did.

That “first-to-home” thing occurred in the bottom of the third inning when, after hitting a sharp RBI single to left field, Barnes went first-to-home on a double into the right-center field gap by Quakes shortstop Jeter Downs, who had also homered in the bottom of the first inning. And even though the play at the plate was somewhat close, the speed for which Barnes is known appeared to be back to 100 percent with no ill-effects.

On the other side of the ball, Barnes was given the task of catching highly-touted 21-year-old right-hander Josiah Gray, whom the Dodgers acquired (along with Downs) in the Puig, Kemp, Farmer and Wood trade with the Cincinnati Reds this past off-season. And even though the rehabbing Dodger backstop wasn’t involved in any defensive plays or throws, he looked sharp behind the plate. He also had extremely high praise for Gray, who had been drafted by the Reds in the second round of the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY.

“Josiah threw the ball really well, I thought he was really impressive,” said Barnes of Gray. “Some of those fastballs, it’s got that life and that up-shoot, kind of arm-side. At the beginning he was throwing that really well and he was striking his off-speed pitches. I think that kid’s got a bright future.”

Gray struck out the side in the top of the first inning and finished his night allowing only two runs on three hits (including a two-run home run), while walking one and striking out six in his 5.0 innings of work. Barnes added that he and Gray had actually discussed their game plan several days earlier.

“We talked, for sure. They did a lot better job than when I was in the minor leagues, doing some scouting and doing that kind of stuff,” said Barnes. “I thought he threw the ball really well, I thought his fastball is pretty special and I thought he was throwing his off-speed pitches really well too, so I think he’s got a good future.”

Being a Southern California native and having grown up in nearby Riverside, it came as no surprise that Barnes is quite familiar with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and with LoanMart Field … sort of. Although this was his first rehab assignment with the Quakes and the first time he actually played on the professional field, he spent much of his youth on the adjacent recreational fields.

“I think I played some travel ball on those fields over there, the little ones. I definitely watched my little brother play some games over there,” said Barnes. “I’ve watched some Quakes games, but [this is] the first time I was actually on the field, I think. I think I played on the [Inland Empire] 66ers field [in nearby San Bernardino] before.

“It’s a nice field, they do a good job here,” added Barnes. “I knew growing up here that the Quakes were pretty popular.”

As you might expect, whenever a rehabbing major leaguer comes into town, the rest of the team come to them for guidance (and a boatload of questions) on what it takes to get to – and remain at – baseball’s highest level. As such, it came as no surprise that 23-year-old Quakes catcher Connor Wong, whom the Dodgers selected in the 3rd round of the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Houston, spent time picking Barnes’ brain prior to Tuesday’s game.

“Connor and Tre [Todd], I think they’re good kids, they obviously have a lot of talent,” Barnes said. “Anything I can do to help them progress as catchers, the Dodgers do things a certain way, there’s a lot of victories to take pride in, and pitch calling, and preparation. And like I said, they’re doing a really good job of advancing, kind of shortening that learning curve for when they get up there [to the major leagues]. Those guys, they want to learn, and whatever questions they had, I’m there for them.”

As for the guy currently sitting (or squatting) in for him with the Dodgers, 24-year-old catcher Will Smith, Barnes had high praise for him as well, and acknowledged that Smith – and 36-year-old / 14-year MLB veteran catcher Russell Martin – are very highly thought of in the Dodgers clubhouse.

“Will and Russ are real popular. Will came up there and he’s doing a nice job,” said Barnes. “It’s not easy for a young catcher to come up, especially with the Dodgers. Everything that matters, the learning curve kind of sharpened. He’s doing a great job, kind of similar [to me] – play the infield, good hands, and stuff like that. But they’re doing a great job up there, putting up a lot of zeros and that’s the most important thing,”

Barnes will play one more game with the Quakes on Wednesday evening and will then rejoin the Dodgers in San Francisco, when they open a three-game series with the Giants at Oracle Park (formerly AT&T Park, formerly SBC Park, formerly Pacific Bell Park), where he will catch Dodgers ace and future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw.

Play Ball!