April 17, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates catcher
Joey Bart (back) is back behind the plate and catching left-hander
Andrew Heaney and will bat cleanup in Thursday's series finale against the visiting Washington Nationals and right-hander
Trevor Williams at PNC Park. Bart will return to action after missing the last five games due to lower-back soreness. With the 28-year-old backstop returning,
Henry Davis will head to the bench. As long as his back injury doesn't bother him again, Bart will move forward as the Bucs' primary catcher, especially after starting the season strong at the plate. Before tweaking his back, Bart had gone 11-for-40 (.275) with a home run, five RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base. The former first-rounder has gone hitless in just two career at-bats against Williams.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April 16, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates catcher
Joey Bart (back) remains out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's contest against the visiting Washington Nationals at PNC Park. It's the fifth straight missed game after he came down with lower-back soreness late last week. With
Endy Rodriguez (finger) landing on the injured list on Tuesday,
Henry Davis will make another start behind the plate to catch left-hander
Bailey Falter while batting ninth against Nationals left-hander
Mitchell Parker. The Bucs finish their series with the Nats on Thursday, but if Bart isn't ready for Friday's series opener in Pittsburgh against the Cleveland Guardians, he may land on the injured list. Davis, the former first overall pick in 2021 out of Louisville, has struggled to find his footing offensively in the big leagues and has gone 2-for-13 so far in 2025. He'll be a poor DFS play on Wednesday and has never faced Parker in his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April 15, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates catcher
Joey Bart (back) is set to undergo testing before Tuesday's contest against the Cincinnati Reds. Bart has been held out of the starting nine since being removed from Friday's contest with a back injury. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status, as he may need to be placed on the injured list if he has not made any progress. As a result,
Henry Davis will get another start behind the dish and bat ninth. Through his first 11 games of the campaign, Bart was productive at the plate, holding a .282/.378/.436 slash line with one double and one home run. He held a 4:14 BB:K and swiped one bag. Last summer, Bart enjoyed similar success in Pittsburgh, posting a .265/.337/.462 slash line with 13 home runs across 80 games. Fantasy managers in two-catcher formats should continue to stash Bart on their roster while he remains sidelined.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April 14, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates catcher
Joey Bart (back) is still on the bench for Monday's series opener against the visiting Washington Nationals at PNC Park.
Endy Rodriguez will do the catching for right-hander
Paul Skenes and will bat sixth versus Nationals right-hander
Brad Lord. While Bart hasn't played since being pulled from Friday's game against the Cincinnati Reds with lower-back discomfort, he's expected to be available off the bench on Monday. It's good news and means that the 28-year-old should be able to avoid a stint on the injured list.
Henry Davis started behind the dish the last two games with Bart out, but the Bucs will give Rodriguez a shot on Monday. When healthy, Bart should be Pittsburgh's primary catcher after starting the year hitting .275 (11-for-40) with a homer, five RBI and four runs scored. Rodriguez will be a low-upside DFS play with just eight hits and no homers in his first 45 at-bats in 2025.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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