SF Giants activate C Joey Bart from injured list, designate C Andrew Knapp for assignment
The SF Giants will have catcher Joey Bart back in the lineup on Tuesday after they activated him from the 7-day concussion injured list. Bart had been out since last week but was progressing towards a quick return this weekend. To create space for Bart on the active roster, the Giants designated catcher Andrew Knapp for assignment. The Giants had added Knapp to their big-league roster when Bart first went on the IL.
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Bart is hitting .227/.311/.399 this season with 10 home runs in 74 games. However, the former second-overall pick has been a different player since returning from a mid-season demotion and made some adjustments to his swing. Since Bart returned to the Giants on July 6th, he's batting .283/.325/.478.
It has been a tough road for Bart since he was drafted with the second overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Giants. After crushing his way through the lower minor leagues, Bart was prematurely forced into big-league playing time when Buster Posey opted out of the 2020 season. With a big uppercut swing, Bart was overmatched by big-league pitching and struggled to put the ball in play.
While Bart has had moments in 2022 that looked a lot like his rookie campaign, the Georgia Tech alum has done a fantastic job making adjustments as the season continues. Most importantly, he has consistently been on the same page with his pitchers and been one of the few Giants starters who has not struggled defensively. Now back in the lineup for the final month of the season, Bart will look to finish the season strong.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Knapp has appeared in each of the previous six MLB seasons, hitting .209/.310/.313 with 13 home runs in 873 plate appearances. Knapp has now appeared in 16 big-league games this year between stints with the Pirates, Giants, and Mariners. He has struggled mightily, though, posting a measly .128/.239/.154 triple-slash.
Knapp did perform well with the SF Giants Triple-A affiliate, hitting .312/.373/.634 triple-slash with 7 walks and 23 strikeouts in 102 plate appearances and San Francisco would probably love to keep him in the organization. However, he could easily be claimed off waivers by a team trying to solidify their catching depth as the season comes to a close.
