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The Dodgers made a trio of roster moves Saturday ahead of their matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Landon Knack has been activated off the 60-day injured list, Kyle Hurt has been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, and Charlie Barnes has been designated for assignment, per staff at Dodger Blue. The moves come one day after the club ran a bullpen game following Shohei Ohtani being scratched from his scheduled start due to left knee irritation.

Knack’s return is the headline here, and it’s a welcome one. The right-hander was a pleasant surprise for the Dodgers in 2024, posting a 3.89 ERA across 11 starts as a rookie before establishing himself as a legitimate rotation option. He landed on the 60-day IL earlier this season, and the length of that absence tells you the injury was no minor hiccup. Getting him back now — right as the team enters the second half — gives the pitching staff a real boost. Knack has the kind of pitch mix and competitive edge that plays in high-leverage situations, whether that’s as a starter or a multi-inning reliever. The Dodgers clearly trust what he can do.

Hurt, meanwhile, got a look at the big-league level but heads back to Oklahoma City. The hard-throwing right-hander has intriguing stuff — his fastball sits in the upper 90s and he’s flashed a wipeout slider — but command and consistency have been the hurdles. An option to Triple-A isn’t a death sentence by any means. At 25, Hurt still has plenty of development runway, and steady work in OKC could help him iron out the rough edges. He’s the kind of arm that could easily find himself back on the roster later this summer if the need arises (and with this pitching staff, the need always arises).

Barnes getting DFA’d is the least surprising move of the three. He was a depth arm brought in to eat innings when the roster needed bodies, and he did that job. But with Knack returning and the Dodgers needing to clear a 40-man roster spot, Barnes was the logical candidate. He’s a veteran left-hander who has bounced around — the Twins, Red Sox, and now the Dodgers — and he understands how this part of the business works. Someone may claim him; if not, he could end up back in the organization on a minor league deal.

The bigger picture: this is the Dodgers getting healthier at exactly the right time. Knack slides back into a pitching staff that has been stretched thin by Ohtani’s knee issue and the general wear of a 162-game season. I like the timing of this. The rotation needed reinforcement, and Knack is more than just a warm body — he’s a pitcher who showed last year he can handle major league hitters. With the trade deadline approaching and the front office reportedly exploring rotation upgrades, having Knack back gives Andrew Friedman a little more flexibility. He’s not forced into a panic move. The Dodgers can be surgical about any trade they make because the internal options just got stronger. That’s how good organizations operate — they develop arms like Knack so they’re not held hostage at the deadline.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: July 11, 2026 9:56 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers