The White Sox kept dealing right up against the deadline, and their latest move adds a familiar kind of gamble: a former top catching prospect with some real upside and some obvious warts.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Chicago has acquired catcher Joey Bart from the Atlanta Braves. Going back in the deal is right-hander Duncan Davitt, who had been designated for assignment after Sunday’s game.
Bart gives the White Sox a right-handed bat behind the plate while Kyle Teel works his way back from an ankle injury. The 29-year-old came into pro ball with a big reputation after the San Francisco Giants took him second overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, but he never quite locked in as Buster Posey’s heir apparent.
His career got a jolt after landing in Pittsburgh in 2024, when he hit .265/.337/.462 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs in 80 games. He split time with the Pirates and Braves in 2026.
This season, Bart has hit .226/.303/.377 with four home runs, 13 RBIs and a .680 OPS in 106 at-bats. He also missed time because of a left foot infection.
Defensively, he brings a strong arm and has done a good job controlling the running game, even if his pitch framing has usually graded below average. At the same time, he has performed well on ABS challenges, successfully overturning 62% of them.
Chicago is also getting some roster flexibility with Bart’s contract. He’s making $2.53 million in 2026 and remains under club control through 2027.
Davitt is a much smaller piece in the transaction. The 26-year-old right-hander was drafted by Tampa Bay in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Iowa, then joined the White Sox last summer in the Adrian Houser trade. Chicago added him to the 40-man roster during the offseason, and he made his big-league debut in April.
Since then, Davitt has appeared twice for the White Sox and allowed one run over two innings. He’s also split time as a starter and reliever at Triple-A Charlotte, where he has gone 4-3 with a 6.22 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 64 strikeouts in 59⅓ innings this season.
Ten of his 21 minor-league outings have been starts. His fastball usually sits in the low 90s, but he offsets that with a deep mix and a pair of above-average breaking balls.
It may not be the catching upgrade White Sox fans were hoping for, but Bart is still a step forward over Edgar Quero and Drew Romo. He helps immediately on both sides of the ball, even if the boost is modest. And for a club that has clearly targeted controllable players with bat speed and a pulled fly ball profile, Bart fits the kind of reclamation project Ryan Fuller and Derek Shomon have been leaning into.
In the short term, Chicago gets a better defender and a little more offense behind the plate. Longer term, the White Sox will try to squeeze some of the value back out of a player who was once drafted second overall.
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The fit, though, is not going to be debated only on the basis of range and arm strength. Doyles recent offensive struggles are part of the calculation, and they will keep the conversation pointed at whether the White Sox are betting on his defense to carry enough weight while they try to extract more at the plate. For a club trying to reshape its roster with an eye on stability, this is exactly the kind of move that can look smart in one season and be questioned in the next. [Read more 🡒]