When Chris Getz acquired Joey Bart, he hoped the move would help stabilize the Chicago White Sox behind the plate until Kyle Teel returns from the injured list in September. That plan lasted all of three games.
On Thursday, Bart was drilled in the left hand by a 98 mph fastball from Red Sox reliever Erik Miller and immediately exited the game, with Drew Romo replacing him in the seventh inning. The White Sox later announced that Bart had suffered a fractured fifth metacarpal in his left hand and is undergoing further evaluation.
As a result, Edgar Quero was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte for the second time this season, marking his third stint as one of the White Sox’s primary catchers in 2026. Quero’s struggles on both sides of the ball were a major reason Chris Getz felt compelled to acquire Bart before the trade deadline.
Quero ranks near the bottom of the league defensively, placing in the MLB’s 4th percentile in blocking and 16th percentile in pitch framing. Bart, meanwhile, graded better in both areas, ranking in the 69th percentile in blocking and 26th percentile in pitch framing.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
The 23-year-old Cuban catcher posted disappointing results offensively during his time in the majors this season, slashing .194/.257/.235 with just two home runs before being optioned back to Triple-A to make room for Bart. However, there is still an argument that Quero’s offensive ceiling is higher than Bart’s.
While Bart’s production represents an upgrade over Quero’s .492 OPS and Romo’s .486 mark this season, his offensive profile is fairly established entering his seventh MLB season. Bart owns a career .687 OPS and a strikeout rate nearing 30%, suggesting his ceiling at the plate is likely limited compared to what the White Sox hope Quero can eventually become.
Despite his struggles this season, Quero has continued to make solid contact, posting an average exit velocity of 90 mph. He has also shown signs of improvement recently, recording hits in six of his last seven MLB games.
One of the main reasons Quero was optioned to Triple-A following Bart’s arrival was because Romo is out of minor league options. The White Sox also appeared to have more confidence in Romo’s defensive ability behind the plate, although his metrics and the eye test suggest he has still struggled in that area.
If Bart is ultimately ruled out for the season, it would be a tough blow for the White Sox and make an already underwhelming trade deadline addition look even more disappointing, especially with more impactful catching options available at the time, including Adley Rutschman, Tyler Stephenson and Liam Hicks.
Ultimately, Getz chose not to mortgage the future by dealing any of the organization’s top prospects. Instead, the White Sox acquired Bart by sending Duncan Davitt, the organization’s No. 30 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, to Atlanta.
Davitt was one of the players the White Sox elected to protect during the Rule 5 Draft, with Getz saying at the time that the organization viewed him as a versatile pitcher who could provide valuable innings out of the bullpen. However, after struggling in Triple-A this season, posting a 6.22 ERA across 59.1 innings, Davitt became a more expendable trade chip for a team looking to address its catching situation.
Now, the White Sox are once again searching for answers behind the plate, with little to show for a trade that was already viewed as a conservative move at the deadline.
