The Los Angeles designated the longest decorated position player for their assignments at Austin Burns on Wednesday. In a corresponding move, the top of the Dalton Rush was called out from Triple A Oklahoma City to bring the infamous bat into the lineup.
read more: designating Austin Burns to call Dalton in a rush to make a shocking move
Manager Dave Roberts said it was a “stricken conversation” over the veteran departure from the team.
“Austin is a guy who’s far beyond numbers,” Roberts told a reporter Wednesday. “He’s a glue guy. He was responsible for people. He was tough. He was very innate and respected all over the place.”
As for the future of the role of LA catcher, the team felt he was doing too well to miss the opportunity to waste the talent of his minors.
“I think it’s an opportunity for us to challenge him right now, with what Dalton Rushing is doing on the performance side,” Roberts said.
Burns, from Fullerton, California, has hit just .214 this season. His team has recently shown that there is a need for an increase in offense and is rushing to achieve it.
Burns first appeared in the uniforms in 2015 after being bought out with a deal that sent works by Dee Gordon and Miguel Rojas to the Miami Marlins, and introduced other players, including Catcher and Kique Hernandez.
At the time, the had little idea that Burns would become a longtime backup catcher for over a decade.
In his career, all 11 seasons of MLB have been in Los Angeles, with Burns hitting .223 with an OPS of .660. Though he’s not a home run batsman, he had 35 people in the uniform and had something very important in the 2020 World Series.
As the fall classic was tied in one game, Burns hit a long ball to separate the two teams further, breaking the tie in the series. Burns has proven to be a vital player on his way to another title in both the 2020 World Series and the 2024 regular season.
More news: What does Dalton Rushing, Austin Burns News mean to Chris Taylor, Michael Comfort and the other struggling ?
Photo credit: Joe CamporeAle-Usa Today Sports
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