Braves' Joey Bart: Lifts first homer with new team
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Bart went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to San Diego.
Bart was traded to Atlanta from Pittsburgh last Thursday and has played in four games with his new team. He collected his first two hits for Atlanta on Wednesday, including a sixth-inning homer that accounted for the club's only runs. On the year, the catcher is batting .246 with a .665 OPS, three homers, nine RBI, 10 runs scored and a double over 25 contests. Bart is likely to fill a backup role behind Drake Baldwin, though with Baldwin struggling lately, Bart could poach some starts against left-handed pitchers.
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Braves' Joey Bart: Activated from injured list
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Atlanta activated Bart (foot) from the 10-day injured list Friday.
Bart was acquired via trade from the Pirates on Thursday and is ready to return from the foot infection that's shelved him since mid-May. The 29-year-old will serve as Atlanta's No. 2 catcher behind Drake Baldwin.
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Braves' Joey Bart: Acquired by Atlanta
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Atlanta acquired Bart (foot) from the Pirates on Thursday in exchange for Hunter Stratton.
Bart has spent the last month-plus on the injured list due to a foot infection, but he began a rehab assignment last week and appears ready to make his return to the big leagues with Atlanta, where he'll serve as the backup to Drake Baldwin while Sean Murphy recovers from a broken finger that is expected to sideline him until after the All-Star break. In just 62 trips to the plate this season with the Pirates, Bart slashed .259/.290/.379 with two homers, six RBI, nine runs scored and a 2:21 BB:K.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Nearing rehab assignment
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Bart (foot) is expected to start a rehab assignment this week, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
Bart was placed on the 10-day injured list back on May 12 but will begin his rehab assignment soon. Before landing on the IL, the 29-year-old slashed .259/.290/.379 with two home runs and six RBI in 62 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Cleared for light activities
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Bart (foot) has been cleared to resume weight room activity and play light catch, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Per Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk, Bart is still "weeks away" from returning from the 10-day injured list, but the good news is that the 29-year-old catcher has progressed enough to take the next step in his recovery program. The Pirates should have a better sense of Bart's timeline to return as he continues to increase his baseball activities.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Dealing with injury
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Manager Don Kelly said Bart, who is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies, is "banged up," Chris Halicke of DK Pittsburgh Sports reports.
Bart is sitting for a second consecutive game Tuesday after starting five of Pittsburgh's previous six contests. It's unclear if the 29-year-old is in danger of landing on the injured list. Henry Davis is starting behind the plate and batting ninth in the series opener versus Colorado.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Resting Sunday
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Bart is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.
After starting behind the plate in the Bucs' previous three games, Bart will get a breather for the series finale in San Francisco. Henry Davis will form a battery with starting pitcher Bubba Chandler on Sunday.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Four knocks against former team
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Bart went 4-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's 13-3 win over the Giants.
Bart did some damage in his old stomping grounds, helping to keep the line moving at the bottom of the order. He's gone 9-for-20 (.450) over his last six games, adding three RBI and five runs scored in that span. Overall, Bart is batting .259 with a .669 OPS, two home runs, six RBI, nine runs scored and no stolen bases over 62 plate appearances this season. He had been in a part-time role earlier in the season, but Bart's recent success at the dish has earned him more opportunities to start over the struggling Henry Davis.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Clubs second homer
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Bart went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 4-2 win over Arizona on Thursday.
Bart produced the final run of the game with a solo blast to left-center field in the sixth inning. That marked his first long ball and first RBI since he went deep against Washington on April 14. Bart has played behind Henry Davis for most of the campaign, but he may be making inroads toward more playing time. Bart has started behind the plate in three of Pittsburgh's past four contests and has gone 3-for-9 over that span.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Idle Saturday
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Bart isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays.
Bart will take a seat for the third time in four games after making five starts in the span of eight contests. He and Henry Davis will likely continue to split starts at catcher throughout the season, but things appear to be trending back in Davis' favor.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Playing time trending up
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Bart will start at catcher and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Nationals.
It's the fifth start across the last eight contests for Bart, who could be emerging the 1A to Henry Davis' 1B at catcher for the Pirates. Bart is hitting only .136/.231/.273 this season but did hit his first home run of the season in his last start Tuesday.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Scratched with wrist injury
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Bart was scratched from Tuesday's lineup in Cincinnati due to left wrist discomfort, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Bart had been slated to serve as the Pirates' designated hitter, but he'll need at least a day to rest a wrist issue. Bryan Reynolds will move from right field into the DH slot, while Alexander Canario has entered the lineup in right field.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Four hits, homer in win
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Bart went 4-for-4 with a double, a three-run homer and an additional run scored in Sunday's 11-0 win over the A's.
It's the second four-hit game this season for Bart, who's homered in back-to-back contests after hitting just one home run in his previous 80 games. Overall, the 28-year-old Bart is slashing .251/.358/.345 with four homers, 29 RBI and 21 runs scored across 321 plate appearances this season.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Homers in loss
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Bart went 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Cubs.
Bart got Pittsburgh on the board in the first inning with a two-out, 419-foot blast off Matthew Boyd, his third homer of the year and his first in 19 games. Bart had gone just 1-for-14 in his last seven contests coming into Wednesday. Overall, he's batting .240 with a .671 OPS, 26 RBI and 19 runs scored across 317 plate appearances this season.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Losing work to Davis
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Bart is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.
Bart will take a seat for the series finale while the playing time at catcher appears to be tilting back in favor of Henry Davis. Over the last six games, Bart has drawn just two starts to Davis' four.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Idle Friday
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Bart is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies.
Bart will yield to Henry Davis behind the dish for the third time in four games. Bart had started three of the previous four contests. He's slashing .248/.353/.321 in 272 plate appearances this season.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Knocks in two
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Bart went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI on Sunday against the Cubs.
Bart saw his playing time slip for much of July, but he has mostly alternated starts with Henry Davis since Aug. 4. In eight games since, Bart has gone 6-for-24 with two doubles, one home run and four RBI. He delivered a two-RBI double in the sixth inning Sunday to briefly give the Pirates the lead.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Draws four free passes Friday
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Bart went 0-for-1 with four walks, two runs and an RBI in Friday's 17-16 loss to the Rockies.
Bart has now drawn at least one walk in each of his last four starts to bring his on-base percentage up from .327 to .355 for the season. The Pirates are continuing to use Bart in a timeshare behind the dish with Henry Davis, and the arrangement will likely continue for the balance of the season unless one of the two catchers dramatically outperforms the other.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Multi-hit effort
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Bart went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI on Saturday against the Twins.
Bart was in the lineup for only the second time in the last six games, and he has struggled to find a rhythm at the plate since returning from the injured list June 17. Across 14 games, he's gone only 10-for-45 with four RBI and one extra-base hit. The Pirates have a strong incentive to give Henry Davis consistent playing time across the second half, so Bart's playing time could continue to diminish.
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Pirates' Joey Bart: Sitting third straight
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Bart isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Royals.
Tuesday will mark the third consecutive game Bart has begun on the bench, and the fifth time he has done so in Pittsburgh's last seven contests. His dramatic drop in playing time suggests that Henry Davis, who will be behind the dish Tuesday, is now the Pirates' preferred option to start at catcher.
