Even with just an hour until the deadline, the moves keep coming for the White Sox.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the White Sox have acquired catcher Joey Bart from the Atlanta Braves. In return, the White Sox will be trading RHP Duncan Davitt, who was designated for assignment following Sunday’s game.
Bart gives the White Sox an experienced, right-handed-hitting option behind the plate while Kyle Teel recovers from his ankle injury. The 29-year-old was selected second overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 2018 MLB Draft and entered the league as one of baseball’s top catching prospects, although he never fully established himself as Buster Posey’s long-term successor. Bart revitalized his career after joining Pittsburgh in 2024, batting .265/.337/.462 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs across 80 games, before spending time with both the Pirates and Braves in 2026.
He has hit .226/.303/.377 with four home runs, 13 RBIs and a .680 OPS over 106 at-bats this season, though did spend a stint on the injured list because of a left foot infection. Defensively, Bart has a strong arm and has shown the ability to control the running game, though his pitch framing has generally graded below average. He has graded above-average at ABS challenges, successfully overturning 62% of challenges.
He is earning $2.53 million in 2026 and remains under club control through the 2027 season, giving Chicago yet another controllable asset.
The return is minimal in the form of Duncan Davitt, who by being designated for assignment was exposed to waivers before being sent to the minors again. The 26-year-old right-hander was selected by Tampa Bay in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Iowa before joining the White Sox last summer as part of the trade that sent Adrian Houser to the Rays. Chicago added him to its 40-man roster during the offseason, and he made his major-league debut in April.
Davitt has since appeared twice for the White Sox, allowing one run over two innings, while working as both a starter and reliever at Triple-A Charlotte. He has gone 4-3 with a 6.22 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 64 strikeouts over 59⅓ minor-league innings in 2026, including 10 starts among his 21 appearances. Davitt is not an overpowering pitcher, with a fastball that generally operates in the low 90s, but he compensates with a deep arsenal and a pair of above-average breaking balls.
As mentioned, this isn’t necessarily the catching move White Sox fans would’ve wanted the team to make. However, Bart is an immediate upgrade over both Edgar Quero and Drew Romo, no matter how small of an upgrade it feels like. He controls the running game well and is solid behind the plate and has shown the ability to have a breakout campaign. Another player with control and a lot of bat speed and a pulled fly ball profile, he fits what Ryan Fuller and Derek Shomon have targeted in some of their reclamation projects.
In the short-term, he provides a defensive and offensive upgrade, albeit smaller than hoped. In the long-term, hopefully the White Sox can pull out some of the value that made him a second overall draft pick at one point.
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Featured Photo: Pirates / X
What is wrong with Peter’s in center field?
Never thought about him not a bad trade.