The Pirates acquired right-hander Hunter Stratton from the Braves for catcher Joey Bart, the club announced late Thursday night. Stratton was sent to Triple-A Indianapolis.
“Yeah, a tough decision with Joey coming back off the IL,” said Pirates manager Don Kelly. “But we had to make a decision and had an opportunity to trade Joey and got Hunter back. We feel like Endy [Rodríguez] has really stepped up in this opportunity that he’s been given to claim more at-bats.
“And with Henry [Davis] being our best defensive catcher, we felt like they complemented each other really well. It’s tough to lose a guy like Joey, who’s meant so much to our team.”
Stratton was originally selected by the Pirates in the 16th round of the 2017 Draft out of Walters State Community College in Tennessee. The 29-year-old has appeared in one game for Atlanta this season, throwing one scoreless inning.
At Triple-A Gwinnett, he had a 4.38 ERA in 24 2/3 innings. Stratton has struck out 24 batters and walked 16. He previously pitched for Pittsburgh in MLB in 47 games between 2023-25. He was designated for assignment before being traded on July 1, 2025, for outfielder Titus Dumitru and cash.
Stratton adds a right-handed relief option for Pittsburgh as it continues to search for answers in the bullpen. The Pirates rank 12th in the National League in bullpen ERA at 4.43.
“He had some really good outings for us, some good years,” Kelly said of Stratton, who posted a 3.26 ERA for the Bucs from 2023-24, before he suffered a season-ending knee injury on Aug. 24, 2024. “Unfortunately, the one year where he hurt his knee … I mean, that was gruesome, and fortunately he’s doing better now. But I think it was [only] a speed bump for sure for him.”
Bart was placed on the injured list on May 12 (retroactive to May 10) with a left foot infection. He began a rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton on June 10 and was transferred to Triple-A Indianapolis on June 12.
The former No. 2 overall Draft pick by the Giants in 2018 spent the last three seasons in the Pirates' organization. With his return from injury nearing, the trade solves a catching question Pittsburgh was soon going to answer, already having Davis as a strong defensive option and Rodríguez as an emerging bat.
The move sending Bart to Atlanta also signals that the Pirates have confidence in the Davis/Rodríguez tandem behind the plate moving forward.
Since being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 12, Rodríguez has produced a .267/.413/.467 slash line with three home runs.
And despite his overall struggles at the plate this season -- he entered play on Friday with a .526 OPS -- Davis has looked better at the plate.
“No doubt,” said Kelly when asked about the organization’s faith in the two youngsters. “I think Endy, for sure, has taken advantage of this opportunity to go out and have good at-bats. He’s played well defensively with Henry being our best defensive guy.
“And [Davis] wants to see results too. He’s been hitting the ball harder, his approach has been better. He hasn’t been yanking the ball foul as much. He needs to continue to do that, continue to work on the things he’s been working on.”
Although the Pirates are sad to see Bart go, they’re happy that his change of scenery will involve going back home to Georgia. They’re also glad to have Stratton back, and they hope the move will prove to be a net positive for Pittsburgh when it’s all said and done.
“I’m happy he gets to go home, but I’m gonna miss him,” said Davis of Bart. “He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had, for sure. And just a good friend off the field, too.”
As for having Stratton back with the Bucs, Davis hopes he’ll see more of the same from the right-hander after catching him previously.
“He’s had some success here, so I hope that can continue,” Davis said. “He throws hard stuff, his stuff moves a lot and he throws strikes. So that was kind of the recipe then.”