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After a brief stay on the injured list with a back strain, Joey Bart is set to make his return to the San Francisco Giants. The team reinstated their starting catcher after a brief rehab stint at Triple-A Sacramento over the weekend and the former No. 2 overall pick will likely start behind the dish against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers tonight.
This is something of a make-or-break season for the 26-year-old, who entered the organization with sky-high expectations after a monster career at Georgia Tech made him one of the most coveted prospects in the 2018 MLB Draft. He was supposed to be the heir apparent to Buster Posey, but it’s just never materialized in the Major Leagues, as Bart has slashed just .222/.294/.351 over parts of three seasons while racking up ugly strikeout totals.
Nonetheless, the Giants cleared the deck for Bart to be their starting backstop this season in the hope that more experience could help him finally tap into that potential. He immediately landed on the IL with back discomfort, though, putting that hope on pause for a week or two. Despite his prospect pedigree, Bart isn’t a recommended add outside of NL-only leagues — he might not even be the most valuable fantasy catcher on his own team, as Blake Sabol has also been finding plate appearances in the outfield so far.