SF Giants activate catcher Joey Bart from IL, DFA Austin Wynns
The SF Giants activated catcher Joey Bart from the injured list on Monday, just in time to rejoin the team for their three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. To clear a spot on the active roster, the Giants designated catcher Austin Wynns for assignment. Wynns started one game with San Francisco in his short stint with the big-league team, going 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts.
SF Giants catcher Joey Bart hits a single. (2022)
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Bart began a rehab assignment on Thursday and went 3-for-7 with the Sacramento River Cats against Triple-A pitching. Back on the big-league roster after dealing with a mild back strain, Bart will presumably make his season debut with the Giants tonight against Dodgers starter Julio Urías.
The pressure is on Bart this season. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi publicly said the team needs more from him this season and the recent signing of two-time All-Star catcher Gary Sánchez to a minor-league deal adds another prominent competitor for Bart.
Bart was drafted by the Giants with the second overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and he made his big-league debut during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. While the Giants hoped he would establish himself as the everyday catcher, he looked overmatched against MLB pitching, striking out 41 times in 111 plate appearances with zero home runs and just three walks. Then, with legend Buster Posey back on the roster in 2021, Bart spent most of the season at Triple-A.
Following Posey's retirement, Bart went into last season the Giants clear top catcher. He showed off his impressive power on several occasions last season, blasting 11 home runs in 297 plate appearances. However, his issues with contact continued to generate prolonged slumps. He finished the season with 112 strikeouts and a .215/.296/.364 triple-slash.
Wynns has now appeared in five of the past six MLB seasons, receiving stints with the Baltimore Orioles in 2018, 2019, and 2021 before joining the Giants last year. Wynns has a .230/.274/.335 triple-slash over his MLB career. He posted a career-best .259/.313/.358 line with seven doubles and three home runs in 177 plate appearances with San Francisco last season. He also recorded an OPS north of 1.000 at Triple-A in 2021 and 2022.
Given his experience and solid performance in spring training, he blasted three home runs and posted a .632 slugging percentage with as many walks as strikeouts this preseason, Wynns has a good chance to be claimed off waivers by another team looking to upgrade their backup catcher. If he goes unclaimed, Wynns will likely request his release to become a free agent and land with a team that has few catching options than the Giants.
The SF Giants now have an open spot on the 40-man roster, which will likely be used to add Sánchez to the big-league team soon. However, in the meantime, Zaidi's history suggests he will use the flexibility to make waiver claims to bolster the team's depth.
