Joey Bart leaves Fenway with a left-hand fifth metacarpal fracture after 97.7 mph hit-by-pitch

Thursday night’s game at Fenway Park turned sharply for the White Sox when catcher Joey Bart was removed after taking a hit-by-pitch on his left hand, a blow clocked at 97.7 mph. The incident came in the seventh inning of a tightly swinging contest, and it immediately altered the team’s lineup and in-game management behind the plate.

Before the game concluded, the White Sox released an update stating that Bart suffered a fifth metacarpal fracture in his left hand. The team also indicated he would undergo further evaluation, indicating that his immediate availability would depend on what additional examinations show after the initial diagnosis.

Bart’s night also included another strange moment before the hand injury. The White Sox noted in the same update that he had been hit on the foot earlier in the top of the second inning. Taken together, those two impacts underline how physical the game became for the catcher, even as baseball’s day-to-day injuries remain unpredictable in timing and severity.

For a catcher, the fifth metacarpal location matters because it is part of the hand that coordinates catching and throwing mechanics. Even when a fracture is stable enough for initial pain control, the practical challenge is protecting grip strength, maintaining range of motion, and sustaining durability for receiving and quick throws, all of which are central to the role.

The removal also places pressure on the rest of the White Sox catching group for the remainder of the game and potentially beyond. With Bart sidelined pending further evaluation, the organization would need to ensure continuity for pitch framing, game-calling, and bullpen coordination, particularly during a stretch where teams often lean heavily on routine behind the plate.

Fenway Park adds additional context because of the environment and the pace of games there, where momentum can shift quickly. The White Sox found themselves balancing both on-field swing and roster stress in the same night, a combination that can have ripple effects for how managers use their bench and how they protect their pitching staff.

The immediate question now is whether Bart’s evaluation points to a timeline that allows a quick return, or whether the fracture requires a longer recovery window that would extend the catching reshuffle. In the near term, watch for confirmation on the nature of the fracture, the pain and mobility progression, and any indication of who will take primary reps behind the plate.

For the White Sox, Bart’s situation is a reminder that even statistically ordinary events like a hit-by-pitch can become season-impacting quickly. The team will likely treat the rest of his evaluation as the decisive step, while his absence forces an immediate adjustment to daily workload and defensive responsibilities.