White Sox add Joey Bart to catching equation

He’ll be out indefinitely. Edgar Quero was recalled in Bart’s absence.

Oof. He’s still being evaluated to determine just how much time he may stand to miss and whether or not surgery will be required. It’s another tough break for the White Sox who just can’t seem to keep catchers healthy this season. The White Sox should have more information on his status before Friday’s game.

He’ll presumably head for imaging to see if there are any fractures. Edgar Quero replaced him on Thursday and would be in line for additional action if Bart is forced to miss any time.

It was well-documented that Chicago was searching for some catching help and they managed to pry Bart away from Atlanta in exchange for a pitching prospect in Davitt who has made a pair of relief appearances in the big leagues this season. It’s not a massive deal, but one that should help the White Sox avoid disaster at catcher while Kyle Teel (ankle) is on the injured list.

Not only is Acuña Jr. at the top of the lineup, but he’s right back into the outfield, which is a great sign for his health. Drake Baldwin will DH this game and hit second, with Joey Bart starting behind the dish and hitting eighth.

Bart was behind the plate with Drake Baldwin at DH on Wednesday. Atlanta didn’t have anyone reach base through six innings as Jared Jones was dominant. Bart, a former top prospect, was playing in just his 10th game for the Braves after beginning the season with the Pirates. He isn’t on the fantasy radar as the first half comes to a close this weekend.

Baldwin has gone 1-for-29 with 18 strikeouts since homering in his first at-bat back from the injured list on June 16. The 25-year-old burgeoning fantasy stalwart has struggled to regain his timing at the dish after ostensibly skipping a minor league rehab assignment. He’ll get a break to reset mentally prior to Friday’s series opener against San Francisco with Joey Bart handling the catching duties. Baldwin feels like a phenomenal buy-low candidate in shallow fantasy leagues at the moment.

The 29-year-old backstop, who was acquired from the Pirates on Thursday evening, will be active for Friday’s series opener against the Brewers. He’s unlikely to see enough playing time to gain any sort of relevance from a fantasy perspective.

This frees up the Pirates to carry on with Endy Rodríguez and Henry Davis behind the plate. Bart has missed the last five weeks with a foot infection, but he’s about ready to return now after going 4-for-16 with a homer in five rehab games, and that the Braves DFA’d Sandy Léon to make room for him suggests he will come off the IL and join the team right away. Bart seemed to have a breakthrough 2024, hitting .265/.337/.462 with 13 homers in 282 plate appearances, but he hasn’t kept it up in coming in at .251/.345/.346 with six homers in 394 plate appearances the last two seasons. The Braves will have him back up Drake Baldwin for now, but like they did with Jonah Heim, they could move on from Bart once Sean Murphy is healthy.

No word yet on how much time Bart will miss. The 29-year-old backstop heads to the injured list ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Rockies. It’ll be Henry Davis and Endy Rodríguez handling the catching duties in his absence.