Barnes elected to become a free agent Friday after being outrighted off the Indians' 40-man roster.
Barnes was sent outright to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday and will now return to the free-agent pool. The 32-year-old played 19 games with Cleveland -- going 5-for-19 with a home run, two RBI and two walks -- and his most likely path to a roster in 2019 is through a minor-league contract.