Catcher Joey Bart was added to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ team on Wednesday after being traded from the San Francisco Giants, who originally selected him as the No. 2 pick in the 2018 amateur draft.
Bart, who is 27 years old, was once seen as the potential successor to Buster Posey as the Giants’ main catcher. However, the Giants decided to designate him for assignment last Sunday. The Pirates, who had a 5-0 record before Wednesday’s game against Washington, acquired Bart in exchange for minor league right-hander Austin Strickland.
Bart played in 162 games over four seasons with San Francisco, hitting .219 with 11 home runs, 38 RBIs, and 178 strikeouts. His father attended high school in Pennsylvania and was drafted by the Pirates in 1979.
“This morning, when I met him, I had heard. I said, ‘Hey, you’ve got some Yinzer in ya.’ So he was pretty excited about it,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “And I think any time someone gets a fresh start, and then it’s coming back to where you have family, it’s cool.”
Bart fills a roster spot left vacant when backup catcher Jason Delay was placed on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his right knee, retroactive to Monday. Shelton mentioned that Delay had been dealing with knee issues since spring training.
Henry Davis currently serves as Pittsburgh’s starting catcher. Yasmani Grandal was placed on the IL last month due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot, and Shelton mentioned that his return is still a while away. “We’ve added another guy into our group who’s caught in the big leagues,” Shelton said about Bart.
