The Atlanta Braves have struggled to find a reliable option behind the plate aside from Drake Baldwin this year. Sean Murphy was expected to spend a majority of the time splitting duties behind the plate with Baldwin. Unfortunately, Murphy has played just four games this year due to two separate injuries, his most recent being a broken left middle finger.
To make matters even worse, Baldwin also missed nearly a month of action, leaving Atlanta with no reliable player behind the plate in May-June, relying on 37-year-old veteran Sandy Leon and journeyman Chadwick Tromp.
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Even though Baldwin has returned, it was clear the Braves needed to make a move to acquire a better option, and they did just that, completing a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.
“The Braves tonight acquired C Joey Bart from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for RHP Hunter Stratton. To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta designated C Sandy Leon for assignment,” the Braves wrote on X.
Bart was selected second overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 2018 MLB Draft and has not quite lived up to the hype that surrounded him at the time. However, the Braves view him as a clear offensive upgrade over Leon, who struggled badly at the plate this season and will now be heading to the minor leagues.
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Bart has posted a .259 batting average, .290 on-base percentage, .670 OPS, two home runs and six RBIs in 21 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates this year. He landed on the injured list in May due to a left foot infection. In five minor-league rehab games over the past week, Bart has gone 4-for-16 with one long ball and two RBIs.
Bart owns a career .240 batting average, .319 on-base percentage, .369 slugging percentage, 30 home runs and 119 RBIs across 356 games for both the Giants and Pirates.
Stratton will head back to Pittsburgh, the organization that originally drafted him, after making just one appearance for Atlanta this year. He tossed a scoreless inning against the Colorado Rockies in early May.
He posted a 4.38 ERA in 21 relief appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett this season before being designated for assignment.
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With Bart now in the mix, the Braves have a far more capable option to share catching duties with Baldwin while Murphy continues to recover, giving Atlanta one less thing to worry about as the All-Star break approaches.
