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.

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.

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.

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.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart (back) is out of the starting lineup for the second straight day on Sunday against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Henry Davis, who was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, is making the start behind the plate. He will catch right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski and bat ninth against Reds right-hander Hunter Greene. Bart is battling lower-back discomfort, and it remains to be seen if he'll be ready to return for Monday's series opener against the visiting Washington Nationals. Davis went hitless in three appearances on Saturday against Cincinnati and just hasn't been able to put it all together offensively in his 100 big-league games since his debut in 2023, as he's slashed .190/.280/.304 with a .585 OPS. He has never faced Greene in his big-league career.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart (back) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Bart will take a seat here after being forced to exit early during Friday's game due to lower back discomfort. For now, fantasy managers can consider Bart as day-to-day, but it wouldn't be shocking if he's forced to land on the injured list. Henry Davis will start behind the plate and bat ninth versus left-hander Andrew Abbott. Fantasy managers should check back on Sunday for another update on Bart.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart (back) was removed early during Friday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Bart was pulled out of the contest due to lower back soreness. Endy Rodriguez took over behind the plate for the rest of the game. The team has already said Bart is considered day-to-day, so it doesn't appear to be a serious injury. Possibly, Bart is forced to miss a game or two, which would mean more playing time for Rodriguez behind the plate. This doesn't sound like something that is going to force Bart to land on the injured list.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart hit a walk-off single with the bases loaded that made it all the way to the warning track in the 2-1, 13-inning victory over the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday in the series finale at PNC Park. Bart finished the game 2-for-5 with the game-winning RBI and a strikeout. The 28-year-old backstop was involved in a scary collision with first baseman Endy Rodriguez in the top of the eighth inning, but both players ended up being OK and stayed in the extra-inning contest. Bart entered Wednesday's series finale with the Cardinals hitting .265 (9-for-34) with a homer, double, triple, four RBI, a stolen base, four runs scored, four walks and 13 strikeouts in 39 plate appearances over 10 games played. He will continue to be Pittsburgh's primary catcher after hitting a career-high 13 homers in just 80 games in his first year with the team in 2024.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart went 2-for-4 with a triple, a homer, two runs, and two RBI in an 8-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday. Bart ripped a two-out bomb in the first inning to give the Pirates an early 1-0 lead over the Cardinals on a blast that traveled 411 feet with an exit velocity of 106.2 MPH. The veteran catcher is off to a quiet start in 2025 with that being his first homer of the campaign. Bart hit a career-high 13 homers in just 253 at-bats in 2024, his first season with the Pirates. If he can show some more consistency at the plate, Bart could emerge as a quality fantasy catcher moving forward.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart will take a seat on Sunday for the series finale against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. With Bart resting, Endy Rodriguez will do the catching for left-hander Andrew Heaney and will bat sixth against Marlins right-hander Max Meyer. This will be Bart's first day off of the year after starting each of the team's first three games of the season, going 4-for-12 with an RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored. Rodriguez, who had the day off on Saturday, went hitless in six at-bats with four strikeouts in the first two games of the series, so he'll be searching for his first hit in 2025 on Sunday. It won't be easy, as Meyer is on of the best young arms in the game when he's healthy. Rodriguez has never faced Meyer in his career and will be cheap for DFS lineups but without much upside.

Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on MLB Network that catcher Joey Bart has taken the pole position at catcher heading into the 2025 season. Bart couldn't get going with the San Francisco Giants and was picked up on waivers by the Pirates early on in 2024. The low-cost move worked out for the Pirates, as Bart eventually became the team's starting catcher and finished with a .265/.337/.462 slash line with a career-high 13 home runs, 45 RBI and 38 runs scored in 282 plate appearances over 80 games played. The 28-year-old is in pole position for the starting job in 2025, but he'll need to continue playing well to hold off both Endy Rodriguez (elbow) and former first-rounder Henry Davis. The power and hard-hit skills are the draw with Bart, and it was a nice sign that he lowered his strikeout rate in 2024. However, he'll need regular playing time to be fantasy relevant.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-handed slugger will get a breather after starting in each of the last two games. In his absence, Yasmani Grandal will do the catching and bat seventh versus right-hander Freddy Peralta. Grandal is underachieving with the bat this season and isn't a viable fantasy option for Wednesday's slate. The expectation is Bart will be back in the lineup following Wednesday's game.

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez, catcher Joey Bart and infielder Jared Triolo are all on the bench for the start of Saturday's contest against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Connor Joe is manning first base and batting seventh, Yasmani Grandal is doing the catching and hitting sixth, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa is at third and hitting leadoff against Reds rookie right-hander Rhett Lowder. It will be the fifth time in the last 10 games that Tellez has found himself on the bench, as he has only two hits in his last 25 at-bats over nine games. Kiner-Falefa draws the most DFS intrigue on Saturday against a rookie hurler. Since coming over from the Blue Jays in a deadline trade this summer, IKF has hit .249 (45-for-181) for Pittsburgh with a homer, nine doubles, two triples, 10 RBI and seven stolen bases.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Miami Marlins. The team will give Bart a rest day after he started in each of the last two games. This appears to be a routine rest day, so Bart should be back in the lineup after this game. In his absence, Yasmani Grandal will cover behind the plate and bat seventh versus right-hander Valente Bellozo. The veteran catcher has been heating up at the plate lately with a hit in each of his last five games. He could be a low-cost DFS option ahead of Monday's slate.

The Pittsburgh Pirates reinstated catcher Joey Bart (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and designated outfielder Billy McKinney for assignment in a corresponding move. The Pirates have yet to release their starting lineup for Friday's contest at PNC Park against the visiting Washington Nationals and rookie left-hander DJ Herz, but Bart is likely to be in it, either behind the plate or at designated hitter. The 27-year-old former San Francisco Giants catcher returns quickly from a mild left-hamstring strain and should split playing time behind the dish in Pittsburgh the rest of the way with veteran Yasmani Grandal. Bart has been much more valuable in fantasy than Grandal and has enjoyed a change of scenery in the Steel City, hitting .272 (53-for-195) with a career-high 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 63 games since joining the Bucs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have recalled catcher and former No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, according to sources. In a corresponding move, catcher Joey Bart (hamstring) will be placed on the 10-day injured list. A left-hamstring injury that Bart suffered on Sunday against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds will now force him to the shelf for at least 10 days. The 27-year-old former San Francisco Giants catcher has been Pittsburgh's most fantasy relevant catcher in 2024 with a .272 average (53-for-195), 12 home runs, 39 RBI and 32 runs scored. For however long Bart is sidelined, Davis and Yasmani Grandal figure to split the catching duties. In his time at Indy, Davis hit .301 with six homers, 26 RBI and seven steals. He could be worth a pickup in deeper fantasy leagues if he sees enough playing time, but he has yet to put it together at the big-league level.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart (hamstring) was lifted from Sunday's game due to left hamstring discomfort, according to the team. The team further reported that the backstop will undergo further medical testing. He was replaced by outfielder Conner Joe. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to any updates regarding the 27-year-old before Monday's game against the Chicago Cubs. If Bart were to miss any extended period of time, veteran Yasmani Grandal should be penciled into the starting nine on most nights. Prior to the injury, Bart was enjoying a stellar run as he held an excellent .315/.376/.565 line with six home runs and 18 RBI in his previous 25 games.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart will take the day off on Saturday in the second game of the series against the hosting Chicago White Sox. Veteran Yasmani Grandal will do the catching against his old team and will bat ninth against White Sox right-hander Chris Flexen. With former first-rounder Henry Davis missing time with a concussion and now back in the minor leagues to work on his swing, it's Bart and Grandal splitting time behind the dish in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future. Bart, a former first-rounder himself, flamed out in San Fran and is getting another opportunity with the Bucs in 2024. The 27-year-old backstop is currently hitting a mediocre .235/.327/.447 but with a .774 OPS, five home runs and 17 RBI in 85 at-bats. As long as he keeps seeing regular playing time, he'll be relevant for his power in two-catcher fantasy formats.

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed catcher Joey Bart (thumb) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 27) on Tuesday and selected the contract of catcher Grant Koch from Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move. It's unclear exactly what the specific nature of Bart's thumb injury is, but he hurt his thumb on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves and was removed early. With former first-rounder Henry Davis still working on his swing at Indianapolis, Koch will head to the big leagues to serve as veteran Yasmani Grandal's backup in Pittsburgh for however long Bart remains on the IL. Bart was a first-round bust with the San Francisco Giants but has already looked better in 22 games with the Bucs, hitting .267 (16-for-60) with four homers and 12 RBI. When he's healthy, he could be the odd-man out if Davis returns to Pittsburgh before he comes off the IL.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart (thumb) left Sunday's game with an apparent injury to his left thumb. As a result, Yasmani Grandal entered the game as his replacement. Bart has performed quite well in his new home in the City of Bridges with a strong .267/.362/.517 line with four long balls and 12 RBI through 21 games. If Bart were to miss any long period of time with this injury, Grandal should be expected to receive the majority of starts behind the dish. Grandal has posted a .212/.226/.385 line with two home runs in his first 16 games as a Pirate and could be worth a look in NL-only formats if he has to serve as the primary backstop for an extended period of time.