Loading ...

Darwin Barney has played for the Chicago Cubs and LA Dodgers in the past. Photo courtesy: WMC

NEW YORK – With Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki out for 2 weeks due to a shoulder injury, the Blue Jays have called in Darwin Barney to replace him.

Barney was traded to the Blue Jays this past Sunday from the LA Dodgers. He was on the Dodgers’ Opening Day rosters, but spent most of the season playing in Triple-A.

The 30-year-old player was born in Portland, OR and was first signed in 2007 on the 4th round of the amateur draft. He was picked up by the Cubs and then moved to the LA Dodgers in 2014.

“It wasn’t what I envisioned when I signed back with LA … that’s baseball you’ve got to grind and you’ve got to play the game you love playing,” Barney told reporters. “This is an opportunity for me to play real baseball again and help this team anyway I can.”

He is a strong replacement for Tulowitzki and has won the Rawling Gold Glove Award and the Field Bible Award in recognition of his defensive skills.

Barney is also one-quarter Korean, one-quarter Japanese, and half-Hawaiian making him one of the only Hapa players along with Kurt Suzuki with the Oakland Athletics, Travis Ishikawa with the San Francisco Giants, and Brandon League with the Seattle Mariners.