The Atlanta Braves have acquired catcher Joey Bart from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handed reliever Hunter Stratton, the team announced Thursday.
To create room for Bart on the 40-man roster, Atlanta designated veteran catcher Sandy Leon for assignment. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, optioned Stratton to Triple-A Indianapolis after adding him to its 40-man roster.
Bart joins the Braves as he continues to recover from a left foot infection that has kept him out of major league action since May 9. However, the 29-year-old appears close to returning, having spent the past week on a rehab assignment where he went 4-for-16 with a home run in five games. Atlanta’s decision to move on from León suggests Bart is expected to join the major league roster immediately.
The move brings Bart back to his home state. A Georgia native who attended Buford High School and later starred at Georgia Tech, Bart was selected second overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 2018 MLB Draft, making him the highest-drafted player in Yellow Jackets history.
After disappointing run in San Francisco, where he hit .219/.288/.335 across parts of four seasons, Bart found more success following a trade to the Pirates before the 2024 season. He compiled a .265/.337/.462 slash line with 13 home runs in 80 games during 2024 and followed that by batting .249/.355/.340 over a career-high 332 plate appearances in 2025. Across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he produced a combined .257/.346/.398 line with 17 home runs and a 110 wRC+.
This season, Bart was hitting .259 with two home runs, six RBIs and a .670 OPS in 21 games before landing on the injured list. His absence opened the door for Endy Rodriguez, who took Pittsburgh’s primary catching role by batting .267/.413/.467 with three homers in 76 plate appearances. The Pirates will now continue with Rodriguez and former No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis behind the plate.
For the Braves, Bart provides additional depth as Sean Murphy remains out with a broken finger. Atalanta has cycled through several backup catching options since Murphy’s injury and can now pair Bart with reigning National League Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin.
Meanwhile, Stratton heads back to the organization that originally drafted him in the 16th round in 2017. The 29-year-old logged a 4.30 ERA across 52⅓ innings during parts of three seasons with the Pirates and owns a 3.75 ERA in 60 career major league appearances. He made just one appearance for the Braves this season, throwing a scoreless inning, and spent most of the year at Triple-A while recording a 4.38 ERA over 21⅔ innings.
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