The Pittsburgh Pirates have added catcher Joey Bart to their 26-man roster. He takes the place of fellow backstop Jason Delay, who lands on the injured lust with right knee inflammation. Delay’s stint on the IL is retroactive to Apr. 1.
Bart was acquired by the Pirates from the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. He had been designated for assignment by the Giants on Mar. 28.
The 2018 No. 2 overall pick played in 162 games in the big leagues with San Francisco across parts of four seasons. For his career, Bart has slashed .219/.288/.335 with 16 doubles, 11 home runs and 38 RBIs.
He’ll serve as the backup to Henry Davis for the time being. Davis has taken the reigns as the Pirates’ primary catcher and will bat seventh on Wednesday night against the Washington Nationals.
Delay has appeared in one game with the Pirates to start the season. On Easter Sunday, Delay went 0 for 3 with a walk and pushed across the winning run on a squeeze play in the top of the 10th inning.
The 29-year-old Delay has spent parts of the last three seasons with Pittsburgh including a career-high 70 games in 2023. For his career, Delay has hit .231 with a .601 OPS, 17 doubles, two home runs and 30 RBIs in 128 games. He’s been responsible for four defensive runs saved behind the plate.
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