Pirates Give Explanation for Joey Bart Injury
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't had one of their main catchers this week due to a recent surprisng injury.
Pirates catcher Joey Bart went on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 10, with a left foot infection, that has kept from playing with the team the last seven days.
Bart didn't suffer this injury during a game vs. the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park, his last appearance, according to Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk, who said these kinds of infections can happen in baseball.
"He did not injure it in a game," Tomczyk said. "As soon as he felt something, as soon as he saw his skin was not the normal colored, it was a brighter red, he notified Luke Novosel, head athletic trainer and they escalated it to the appropriate care. Unfortunately, this happens in professional sports settings, when they're always sweating and they're in and around dirt. But he's getting the right, necessary steps. It wasn't an in-game injury."
Tomczyk also didn't reveal a timeline for the left foot infection, but that the Pirates have treated him and given him antibiotics to treat the infection at this time.
"He's still under the care of local team physicians here," Tomczyk said. "He did have a course of IV antibiotics that he is currently undergoing right now. Still learning but we know he's now in for a little bit of that left foot infection."
Joey Bart's 2026 Season with the Pirates
Bart slashed .259/.290/.379 for an OPS of .669 in 21 games at the plate before his injury, with 15 hits in 98 at-bats, one double, two home runs, six RBI and two walks to 21 strikeouts.
Much of his best play came in May, slashing .412/.412/.588 for an OPS of 1.000 in five games, moving up from a .195 batting average to .259.
This includes tying a career-high of four hits and driving in two runs in the 13-3 win over the Giants at Oracle Park on May 9.
He also hit a solo home run late on in the 4-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the series finale at Chase Field on May 7.
Bart started 17 of 20 games he's played at catcher in 2026, serving as the backup to Henry Davis.
What Pirates Have Done with Joey Bart Out
The Pirates brought up catcher Endy Rodríguez from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 12 and had him start back-to-back games this homestand at PNC Park, the series finale vs Colorado Rockies on May 14 and the series opener vs. the Philadelphia Phillies on May 15.
Rodríguez had an excellent first game, where he had two hits, including a two-run, bases-loaded single, while also catching five different Pirates pitchers in the 7-2 victory.
The Pirates are also sticking with Davis as their main catcher and have moved between both catchers, depending on who is starting and making sure both get their rest.
Rodríguez, if he plays well, could give the Pirates a tough decision when Bart is fully healthy on if they decide to keep him up.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.