Struggling Bart gets 'mental refresh'

The Giants have asked a lot of Joey Bart since promoting him to the Majors last month. They’ve trusted the 23-year-old rookie catcher to handle their pitching staff in the middle of a playoff race, and he’s largely delivered on that front, emerging as a steady defensive presence behind the plate. His bat, however, remains a work in progress.

Through the first 86 plate appearances of his career, Bart has racked up 30 strikeouts and only two walks. While he doubled in each of his first three games, he struggled to sustain that success once opposing pitchers began attacking him with inside pitches and getting him to expand the zone. The No. 2 pick of the 2018 Draft entered Sunday slashing .241/.302/.304 with no home runs over 25 games.

“I think that we’re seeing a hitter in Joey that is experiencing something that he hasn’t gone through at the Minor League level, he didn’t go through as a college player,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “Which is, he’s being pitched to with a very well thought out plan. There are some areas of his game right now that are getting exploited. He needs to adjust back.

“One of the things we’ve been talking about with Joey is to really focus on the process, the process being getting a pitch to drive and laying off pitches he can’t drive. Spreading him out a little bit and just really focus on seeing the ball and those being the wins rather than a hit or a double or a home run being the win.”

After going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the Giants’ 6-0 loss to the A’s on Saturday, Bart was out of the starting lineup for Sunday’s series finale at the Coliseum. The Giants opted to pencil in backup catcher Chadwick Tromp, who is expected to start on Monday as well given his strong working relationship with Johnny Cueto.

Kapler said he hopes the two-day break will serve as a “mental refresh” for Bart and give him more time to work with the Giants’ hitting coaches on potential adjustments at the plate.

“There’s a tremendous amount of belief in Joey long term,” Kapler said. “All of the talent is there. Right now, I think he’s getting it handed to him. He knows that. It’s time for him to adjust, and he’s ready to do so.”

Worth noting

• Kapler said left fielder Alex Dickerson will likely rejoin the team on Monday after missing two games while on paternity leave. Dickerson and his wife, Jennifer, were expected to welcome their first child, a boy, this weekend in San Diego.

• Mike Yastrzemski continued to receive treatment for his calf injury and remains day to day heading into the final week of the regular season.

“He’s moving around much better today,” Kapler said Sunday. “I don’t anticipate us using him in today’s game. I still consider him day to day and hold out hope that he’s able to contribute for us down the stretch.”