Talk about bad timing.
After being scheduled to make his first start of the season vs. the Yankees on Saturday, catcher Joey Bart was scratched with back tightness prior to game time. News of the injury comes on the heels of Bart not being named the club’s Opening Day catcher, and comments from president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi that the club wants to see more from Bart this season before he can win the starting job.
“If he does the same thing he did last year, it’s going to compel us to continue to look for other options,” Zaidi said on KNBR Thursday. ” But I know he feels there’s room for improvement, and so do we.”
Bart was called out by Gabe Kapler at the start of spring training, in the hopes that some pressure would motivate the former No. 2 overall pick to make improvements in Scottsdale. Bart was good, but not good enough to beat out the likes of Roberto Pérez and Blake Sabol. The Giants also added another catcher, former Yankee Gary Sanchez, on Friday.
Pérez got the start on Opening Day and replaced Bart in the lineup on Saturday. It remains to be seen if Bart will be healthy enough to give it a go in the series finale on Sunday.