November 15th, 2023 at 8:30 am 
by Ron Cervenka In a move that wasn’t entirely unexpected, the Dodgers have added 26-year-old catcher Hunter Feduccia to their 40-man roster on Tuesday ahead of the December 6 Rule-5 Draft deadline.
It’s certainly no secret that although soon-to-be (on December 28) 34-year-old Fullerton, CA native Austin Barnes is an above average defensive catcher, his offense has been nothing short of horrible, slashing a dismal .219/.323/.343/.666 with only 34 home runs and 149 RBI during his nine MLB seasons, all with the Dodgers.
Taking it one step further, the 5′-10″/187-pound Dodgers backstop slashed an even worse .180/.256/.242/.498 with only two home runs and only 11 RBI in the 59 games (178 at-bats) he appeared in during the just-concluded 2023 season, causing him to become the Dodgers backup catcher to 28-year-old Will Smith, who slashed a far more acceptable (and All-Star-worthy) .261/359/438/.797 with 19 home runs and 76 RBI in his 126 games (464 at-bats) in 2023. In fact, were it not for the fact that Barnes has more or less become the personal catcher (and very close friend) of Dodgers ace and future first-ballot Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, Barnes probably would have been let go quite some time ago. Instead, Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman signed Barnes to a two-year/$7 million contract extension prior to the 2023 season that includes a team option for 2025.
Getting back to Feduccia, the 6′-0″/215-pound left-handed hitting/right-handed throwing Lake Charles, LA native and Dodgers 12th-round draft pick in 2018 out of Louisiana State University posted a very impressive .279/.387/.451/.838 slash line that included 11 home runs and 57 RBI in the 90 games (319 at-bats) he appeared in with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers in 2023, thus making Friedman’s decision to protect him from the upcoming Rule-5 Draft pretty much a no-brainer.
(Jon SooHoo)
The Dodgers also added right-handed pitchers Nick Frasso and Landon Knack to their 40-man roster on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Frasso, who hails from nearby Torrance, CA and was initially drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth round in 2020 Draft out of Loyola Marymount, was traded to the Dodgers (along with left-hander Moises Brito for right-hander Mitch White and infielder Alex De Jesus in 2022) posted a 1-2 record and 3.26 ERA with 13 strikeouts and seven walks in his 19.1 innings pitched in his four games (all starts) at OKC in 2023.
(Courtesy of Tulsa Drillers)
Knack, who was selected by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN, posted a 3-1 record and 2.93 ERA in the 10 games (all starts) he appeared in at OKC in 2023. The 6′-2″/220-pound Johnson City native struck out 38 and walked 18 in his 43.0 innings pitched with the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate.
(Norm Hall)
Although it is unlikely that Feduccia, Frasso, or Knack will make the Dodgers 2024 Opening Day 26-man roster, it’s nice to have these three guys in the bank.
Play Ball!
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Solid adds to the 40-man roster. I’m pulling for Feduccia to supplant Barnes as the backup to Smith.
Dodgers really need to give Fedducia a shot and move on from Barnes.
It’s spelled Torrance, CA.
Good catch; lived there from grade school through college
Fixed, with my apologies. Because Torrence is also an actual name, spell check didn’t catch it. Again, my apologies.
Will be funny to see a 6’5” Feduccia towering over Smitty & Barnsey if/when they workout together.
A typo. He is actually 6-0. I clearly needed more sleep before writing this one.
Why wont they give Diego Cattaya a shot?
Already on the 40-man roster. And, he struggled hitting Double-A pitching. Still a very good prospect, but after 2023 he has been bypassed as a prospect by Dalton Rushing. 2024 will tell whether Cartaya is still a prospect.
IMO, now is the time to trade Cartaya. Perhaps in a deal with the White Sox for Luis Robert Jr. & Dylan Cease or with the Cardinals for Nolan Arenado & Tommy Edman.
But, has Cartaya’s trade value dropped so much that he will not bring a significant return?
If we know Cartaya’s prospect stock has fallen then every other team knows it too a long time ago.
I feel bad for Barnesy since he’s been a long time Dodger but at least he got a ring and millions playing for them. Must be tough to know your career is hanging by a thread…..or more accurately hanging by the stitches in Clayton’s elbow!