Barnes pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in Wednesday's loss to the Indians. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two.
Barnes was dazzling during spring training and was a no-brainer replacement for the injured Carson Smith (forearm). He has the high-velocity fastball that could play in a set-up role, but the former starter can also pitch multiple innings when a starter doesn't get deep into a game, as was the case Wednesday with Clay Buchholz. As a reliever in 2015, the UConn grad struck out 51 batters in 50.1 innings.