Dodgers’ Former Backstop Joins Rival Club After Latest Cut

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 17: Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Wynns (29) at bat during the MLB game between the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 17, 2023 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers recently made an unprecedented move with perennial All-Star catcher Will Smith.

When two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was given a day off from hitting amid some struggles at the plate, Smith was moved into the leadoff spot for the first time in his career and performed pretty well.

“The Dodgers didn't wait long to prove they could produce without their top-of-the-order superstars,” Courtney Hollmon wrote for MLB.com. “In his first career appearance in the leadoff spot, Will Smith took (San Francisco) Giants starter Landen Roupp deep to right-center field.”

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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Austin Wynns Left Team After Very Short Stint

It was the latest accomplishment for Smith, who has been one of the best catchers in all of baseball in his tenure with the Dodgers. And with Smith’s backup Dalton Rushing emerging as a dangerous slugger in his own right, the team is well stocked at the catcher position.

That is one reason why the team felt comfortable putting former backstop Austin Wynns onto waivers in 2023, after he caught just five big-league games for the team.

Some Dodgers fans will remember Wynns for that very brief stint with the big-league team, which produced two hits. But he’s probably best known overall for the 2022 season with the division rival San Francisco Giants. In that campaign, Wynns slashed .259/.313/.358 in 162 at-bats.

But now the Dodgers fans who do remember Wynns will be interested to learn that he has signed with the team’s crosstown rival Los Angeles Angels.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers Catcher Joins Los Angeles Angels

“Catcher Austin Wynns signed a minor league deal with the Angels,” per MLB Trade Rumors Steve Adams.

After his stints with the Dodgers and Giants, Wynns had found his latest big-league home with another in-state club in the Athletics.

“The Klutch Sports client opened the season with the division-rival A’s but was designated for assignment a week ago,” Adams added. “The A’s asked to assign him to Triple-A Las Vegas, but as a player with five-plus years of service, Wynns had the right to refuse, which he did. The A’s then placed him on release waivers, and he subsequently became a free agent.”

After the Athletics cut Wynns from their big-league roster, the Angels might give him a better route to a regular catcher’s role than he saw with the Dodgers. With Travis d’Arnaud and Logan O’Hoppe injured, the team is trying out Sebastian Rivero and rookie Omar Martínez behind the dish.

“Given that tandem’s minimal track record, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Wynns found himself catching games at Angel Stadium in the near future,” Adams added.