WASHINGTON – When the Pirates acquired Joey Bart in a trade with the Giants this week, it was a move brought on by necessity, their catching situation suddenly in flux. What came as an ancillary distinction was that they also brought home something of a native son.

Though Bart grew up in the Atlanta suburbs, he’s been a Pittsburgh sports fan since childhood. Bart’s father, Tommy, grew up northeast of Pittsburgh in Lower Burrell, Pa., and was a 29th-round pick by the Pirates in the 1979 Draft. He never played for the organization, but instilled a love for the Steel City in his son early on.

Joey Bart’s first jersey as a kid? Ben Roethlisberger.

“It’s kind of crazy the way it all worked out,” Bart said when he joined the Pirates on Wednesday, shortly before they suffered their first loss of the season, a 5-3 defeat to the Nationals, in the nation’s capital. Bart didn’t appear in the defeat, during which righty Mitch Keller coughed up five runs (four earned) and the offense was held in check on a soggy night at Nationals Park.

“It’s really cool, it’s really special,” Bart said. “It’s really special to my family, no doubt, just with all the ties. Most of my family I have is in this area, so it’s gonna be really fun.”

Bart’s ties to the city aren’t limited to his father’s side of the family. His mom grew up in Toronto, Ohio, and an uncle still lives in nearby Butler, Pa.

“I think anytime someone gets a fresh start and it’s coming back to where you have family, it's really cool,” manager Derek Shelton said.

Bart should be in line for a better opportunity in Pittsburgh than he would’ve been in San Francisco, at least in the short-term. The Pirates are suddenly super thin in catching depth after placing Jason Delay on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with right knee soreness that’s lingered from Spring Training. Endy Rodríguez is out for the year after undergoing shoulder surgery in December, and veteran backup Yasmani Grandal is still a ways off from his team debut due to plantar fasciitis.

“It’s not like he’s three or four days away,” Shelton said of Grandal. He’s still a ways away. He’s gotta play in games, he’s gotta go through his running progression. He just started the running progression, and it’s not even on the bases yet.”

As such, Delay’s continued injury issues left Pittsburgh without a second option at the position alongside Henry Davis before swinging the deal for Bart, who had been designated for assignment by the Giants in a roster crunch. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 Draft, Bart was rushed to the big leagues for the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and seen as Buster Posey’s heir apparent. But he struggled to established himself in the Majors, hitting .219 with a .623 OPS over 162 games in parts of four seasons in San Francisco, and was passed by Patrick Bailey on the organizational depth chart.

“I’ve been at the highs and been at the lows, and I feel like I can bring that forward with me and learn from all those experiences,” Bart said. “I’m feeling great, super confident, ready to go and super ecstatic about being in Pittsburgh.”

Said Shelton: “Henry [Davis] is going to continue to catch, but we are going to have to monitor his volume and all that. We’ve added another guy into our group who’s caught in the big leagues. Obviously, there is a lot of prospect value there. He had a really good spring so it’s just giving him a fresh look.”