Pirates manager Derek Shelton revealed to reporters on Wednesday that catcher Joey Bart, who has now sat out of the last three consecutive games, caught a very unlucky break during batting practice a few days ago.
Bart was apparently catching in the bullpen when he was hit in the head by a batting practice home run, Shelton said.
The 27-year-old Bart, a former No. 2 overall draft pick, was traded to the Pirates earlier this month after spending the first four seasons of his MLB career with the San Francisco Giants. He has only appeared in three games for Pittsburgh thus far this season as the No. 2 catcher to Henry Davis.
That sounds like it had to be a one-in-a-million shot for Bart. Unfortunately, though, this is not the first time that we have seen a player get injured by a stray ball in batting practice.
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