Maybe this time will be the charm for Joey Bart. The former top Giants prospect is heading back to the majors after a month-long stint in Sacramento.
The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser first reported Wednesday that Bart has been activated and is back on the Giants’ active roster, with Bart confirming.
In a corresponding move, the team announced that Evan Longoria would be placed on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain. Longoria injury woes continue at a time he seemed to be hitting his stride, batting .311 over his last 13 games with 3 home runs.
It’s a huge moment for Barth, whose last MLB experience was woeful.
He returns after having hit .156 in 108 plate appearances this season. There were times he looked completely lost at the plate, striking out a brutal 49 times over 36 games and securing just two hits in his last 28 plate appearances, before he was sent to Triple-A.
He returns having spent the last month with the Sacramento River Cats where he hit .333 in 31 plate appearances with one extra base hit and 11 total bases.
The Giants, having lost six-straight games and 12 of the last 15, are desperate for a jolt from somewhere. It’s evident that despite his struggles, there is massive upside in Bart’s power at the plate.
