The Los Angeles Dodgers claimed Charlie Barnes off waivers from the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, ending a short stay in the Cubs’ organization and putting him back on a 40-man roster. Chicago had designated the left-hander for assignment on May 6.
Barnes, 29, had just returned to the majors with the Cubs after spending most of the season in Triple-A Iowa. He made one appearance for Chicago against the Phillies on April 13, entering in the sixth inning and giving up three runs in his first frame before finishing three innings with four runs allowed, three earned, on four hits and three walks with one strikeout. He threw 62 pitches, including 33 strikes.
The move matters because Barnes is not a newcomer trying to find his way so much as a pitcher with a long, uneven road back to the big leagues. He signed a minor-league contract with Chicago in January after returning to the United States in mid-2025 and signing a minor league deal with the Reds. With Louisville, he worked as a starter before electing free agency at season’s end, then joined the Cubs and opened the year in Iowa.
His Triple-A numbers helped keep him in the conversation. Barnes posted a 3.04 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, 27 strikeouts and 12 walks across 26.2 innings in seven Triple-A appearances this season. Before that, he spent 2022, 2023 and 2024 with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization after the Minnesota Twins designated him for assignment in November 2021, five months after he made his major league debut with Minnesota in July 2021.
Barnes’ path into the Dodgers’ system traces back further still. The Twins drafted him in the fourth round with the No. 106 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft after three seasons at Clemson from 2015 to 2017, when he was a third-team All-ACC selection in 2017. In the Twins’ minor league system, he went 22-18 with a 3.72 ERA and 304 strikeouts in 355.2 innings over 72 appearances, including 70 starts, before his brief run in Minnesota and his move overseas.
The Cubs had hoped Barnes could provide depth when injuries thinned the staff, and a voice in the broadcast booth noted his unusual path back after years away from the majors. But the relief outing against Philadelphia made clear how narrow the margin was. Now the Dodgers get a pitcher who reclaimed a 40-man spot, while the Cubs move on after one appearance and a roster decision that came less than a month later.
For Barnes, the next step is no longer about getting back to the majors. He is already there. The question now is whether Los Angeles keeps him long enough for the journey to finally stick.
