Braves send backup catcher Joey Bart to White Sox in reported deal

The Atlanta Braves and Chicago White Sox are reportedly working through a mid-summer roster shuffle that sends catcher Joey Bart from Atlanta to Chicago. According to Mark Feinsand of, Bart, described as the Braves’ backup catcher, would head to the White Sox in exchange for rookie right-handed reliever Duncan Davitt.

The reported swap highlights two different roster needs that can look similar on the surface but play out differently through a full season. For Atlanta, Bart’s role as a depth piece behind the starters places him at the mercy of playing-time swings created by daily matchups, bullpen workload, and organizational plans for catching. Trading a backup can be a way to clear space for the next wave of roster decisions, while also reducing the number of fringe rotation pieces competing for at-bats.

For Chicago, the fit centers on what Davitt brings: late-inning relief value and a developmental trajectory as a young bullpen arm. Feinsand’s report characterizes Davitt as a 26-year-old rookie reliever. In modern MLB roster construction, acquiring a reliever who can cover multiple leverage situations can be especially meaningful, particularly when a team wants more reliability in high-leverage innings without forcing a rushed promotion or overworking existing options.

At this stage, the reported deal is framed as an agreement, but readers should treat the specifics as unconfirmed until the teams issue official transaction paperwork and roster moves. Trade reporting around deadlines often evolves as paperwork is finalized, and sometimes additional players are included or descriptions of roles and roster status are updated once the official game-day implications are known.

Even with that caveat, the trade offers a clear picture of the immediate domino effect at catcher for Atlanta. If Bart is leaving, Atlanta’s catching depth plan becomes the next question: who absorbs the backup workload and who becomes the primary option for bullpen days, spot starts, or start-of-series needs. For Chicago, the next question is more about bullpen integration, namely how quickly Davitt’s usage plan can slot into the White Sox’s existing relief corps and whether he’s positioned for a set role or a broader trial period.

From a broader season narrative standpoint, transactions like this tend to reflect front offices balancing present roster texture with longer-term organizational evaluation. Atlanta’s decision to move Bart suggests the club is willing to convert depth into a different kind of asset, while Chicago’s return emphasizes the value of young pitching depth. As the season progresses, the baseball impact will show up in ordinary, measurable outcomes: catchers’ ability to handle pitching staff demands, and relievers’ ability to limit damage during the innings that decide close games.