The Atlanta Braves continued their search for a backup catcher on Thursday, acquiring Joey Bart from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handed reliever Hunter Stratton.
Bart, 29, is a Georgia native who played for Georgia Tech. He hit .259 with two homers and six RBIs in 21 games for the Pirates this year before landing on the injured list in mid-May because of a left foot infection.
In five minor league rehab games over the past week, Bart went 4-for-16 (.250) with one homer and two RBIs.
Bart has a career .240 batting average with a .319 on-base percentage, a .369 slugging percentage, 30 homers and 119 RBIs in 356 games for the San Francisco Giants (2020-23) and the Pirates (2024-26).
Stratton, 29, heads back to Pittsburgh, where he pitched from 2023-25 until he was dealt to Atlanta last July. He made only one appearance for the Braves this year, throwing a shutout inning against the Colorado Rockies on May 2.
Stratton went 2-4 with one save and a 4.38 ERA in 21 relief appearances for Atlanta’s Triple-A Gwinnett affiliate this year before he was designated for assignment on Wednesday. The Pirates are assigning him to Triple-A Indianapolis.
In 60 career major league outings, all out of the bullpen, Stratton owns a 3-2 record with two saves and a 3.75 ERA.
The Braves’ regular catcher, Drake Baldwin, was activated from the injured list on Monday, and the next day he hit the longest home run in the majors this year. His 473-foot blast came as the leadoff man in the first inning against Giants right-hander Adrian Houser.
Baldwin had been sidelined since mid-May due to an oblique injury. The 2025 National League Rookie of the Year is hitting .298 with 14 homers and 39 RBIs in 50 games for Atlanta this year.
During his absence, the Braves tried Austin Wynns, Sandy Leon and Chadwick Tromp behind the plate.
Leon was designated for assignment on Thursday to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Bart. He went 4-for-44 (.091) with no RBIs in 21 games for the Braves this year.
Wynns was designated for assignment upon Baldwin’s return, having gone 1-for-14 with no RBIs in six games since Atlanta purchased his contract from the Los Angeles Angels earlier this month. He became a free agent this week after clearing waivers.
Tromp returned to the minors after going 5-for-25 (.200) with no homers and three RBIs in 12 games for Atlanta.
