Horwitz is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.
After starting in each of the last eight games, the left-handed-hitting Horwitz will be given the night off while the Royals send southpaw Noah Cameron to the hill for the series opener. Jared Triolo will replace Horwitz at first base and will bat eighth.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Slugs first leadoff homer
Rotowire
Horwitz went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a two-RBI double in Monday's 7-0 victory over the Cardinals.
The Pittsburgh first baseman launched his first career leadoff homer when he took St. Louis starter Erick Fedde deep on the second pitch. Horwitz then returned in the third to lace a two-RBI double off Fedde to notch his second two-bagger of the season. The former Blue Jay has settled into a strong-side platoon role and is now slashing .258/.324/.383 with two homers, 17 runs scored and 14 RBI across 142 plate appearances in 36 games.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Getting breather
Rotowire
Horwitz is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Mets.
Horwitz's streak of seven consecutive starts comes to an end Friday as he yields to Jared Triolo at first base. In his last 12 games, Horwitz is 15-for-44 (.341) with five doubles.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Sparks offense in win
Rotowire
Horwitz went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Rangers.
Horwitz was a thorn in the Rangers' side all game, highlighted by a two-run double during the Pirates' five-run fifth inning. Over his past 10 games, the 27-year-old has hit safely eight times, collecting four doubles, three RBI and seven runs scored. He's slashing .245/.316/.349 with one home run, nine RBI and 14 runs scored across 117 plate appearances while primarily starting against right-handed pitching.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Idle against lefty
Rotowire
Horwitz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.
Horwitz will take a seat for the third time in four games while the Pirates go up against another southpaw in Cristopher Sanchez. Jared Triolo will get the nod at first base and should continue to fill the short side of a platoon with Horwitz.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: First homer as Pirate
Rotowire
Horwitz went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI on Thursday against the Brewers.
He led off the fourth inning with a solo shot off Aaron Civale, Horwitz's first extra-base hit as a Pirate. He has gone 5-for-18 with only three strikeouts through six games since returning from a wrist injury and seems set in a strong-side platoon role at first base.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Exiting starting nine Monday
Rotowire
Horwitz is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.
The left-handed-hitting Horwitz could end up settling into a full-time role with the Pirates eventually, but he'll take a seat for the series opener versus the Reds while lefty Nick Lodolo takes the hill for Cincinnati. After being reinstated from the injured list Saturday after he had been on the shelf all season while recovering from a procedure to alleviate pain in his right wrist, Horwitz started at first base in the final two games of the Pirates' weekend series with the Phillies, going 1-for-6.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Back from injured list
Rotowire
The Pirates reinstated Horwitz (wrist) from the injured list Saturday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Horwitz has been on the injured list all season while working his way back from a thumb procedure he underwent in February to relieve some pain in his right wrist. He's been playing in rehab games since late April and has slashed .255/.294/.383 with two RBI and seven runs scored across 51 plate appearances. Now fully healthy, he's expected to take over as Pittsburgh's primary first baseman. Matt Gorski was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Set to return from IL this weekend
Rotowire
The Pirates will activate Horwitz (wrist) from the 10-day injured list during their weekend series in Philadelphia, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
He will not be activated Friday, perhaps because the Phillies are starting left-hander Ranger Suarez. Instead, Horwitz will return from the IL later this weekend. Horwitz has been working his way back from February surgery to repair an extensor tendon in his right thumb that was causing pain in his wrist. The 27-year-old posted just a .677 OPS in 13 rehab games, but he was heating up at Triple-A Indianapolis, going 6-for-13 with one home run over his last three contests. Horwitz is set to serve as the Pirates' primary first baseman.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Still finding groove
Rotowire
Horwitz (wrist) has gone 4-for-28 with five strikeouts on his rehab assignment split between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis.
Horwitz has been on assignment since April 27 and has needed extensive ramp-up time after missing all of spring training. He still hasn't found a rhythm at the plate, though he has struck out at a reasonable 16.7 percent clip. The Pirates need offensive help, but they may opt to let Horwitz start to hit better before activating him.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Taking BP
Rotowire
Horwitz (wrist) has progressed to taking batting practice, throwing and fielding ground balls, MLB.com reports.
Horwitz has been swinging since early March, though his progression to batting practice is significant. He's still a few weeks away from a rehab assignment, which is projected to begin in late April or early May.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Ready for tee work
Rotowire
Horwitz (wrist) was cleared to begin hitting off a tee Sunday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
The 27-year-old is about a month removed from undergoing surgery on his right wrist and continues ramping up his hitting program. Horwitz was given an initial recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks and appears likely to be sidelined for Opening Day, but he may not miss much of the regular season.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: On mend from hand surgery
Rotowire
Horwitz said Wednesday that the surgery he underwent last week was to repair the extensor tendon in his right thumb, John Perrotto of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports. He's expected to face a recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks.
The left-handed-hitting Horwitz's procedure was designed to address chronic symptoms with his wrist, but the surgery itself was actually performed on the thumb of his throwing hand. In any case, Horwitz's projected 6-to-8-week recovery timeline could keep him out of action for most or all of spring training and force him to open the season on the injured list. If Horwitz is shelved to begin the campaign, Pittsburgh could turn to Jared Triolo, Billy Cook or Bryan Reynolds to pick up starts at first base early on.
... See More... See Less
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Battling wrist injury
Rotowire
Horwitz will miss time during spring training due to a right wrist injury, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Horwitz was traded from Toronto to Cleveland and then Pittsburgh back in December and was expected to begin 2025 as the Pirates' primary first baseman. However, he suffered a wrist injury in the offseason that required surgery and has yet to shed his cast. There's no telling if the infielder's absence will extend into the regular season, but if he ends up beginning the season on the injured list, Jared Triolo would likely be the next man up to start at first.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Spencer Horwitz: Getting night off
Rotowire
Horwitz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.
Horwitz's streak of 11 consecutive starts will come to an end while he heads to the bench for the first time since Sept. 11. He'll cede his spot in the lineup to Tyler Heineman, who will handle catching duties while top backstop Alejandro Kirk gets a day off behind the plate but sticks in the starting nine as the Blue Jays' designated hitter.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Spencer Horwitz: Homers twice, plates three in win
Rotowire
Horwitz went 4-for-5 with a double, two homers, three RBI and three runs scored in Saturday's win over Atlanta.
Horwitz was a problem for Atlanta all night, smacking a leadoff homer in the second to put Toronto on the board, along with a second leadoff shot in the fourth to kick off a three-run inning for the Blue Jays. The infielder didn't stop there, however, adding an RBI double and a single in the contest to give him his first four-hit performance of the campaign. Horwitz has now tallied multiple hits in three of his last six starts, batting .423 (11-for-26) with three homers, six RBI and six runs scored over that stretch. He's also hit safely in each of his last three starts.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Spencer Horwitz: Sitting against Fried
Rotowire
Horwitz is not in Friday's lineup against Atlanta.
Horwitz has been playing pretty regularly at first base and designated hitter, but he'll head to the bench for the second time in as many games with the Jays facing back-to-back southpaws. Nathan Lukes enters the lineup in right field with George Springer starting at DH.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Spencer Horwitz: Goes deep as part of three-hit game
Rotowire
Horwitz went 3-for-5 with a home run, a walk, two total runs and three total RBI against the Twins in Saturday's 15-0 victory.
Horwitz was a key part of a massive 23-hit performance by Toronto's offense. He started at third base and hit a two-run homer in the first inning along with a run-scoring single in the third. Prior to Saturday, Horwitz had just one RBI over his previous nine games.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Spencer Horwitz: On bench for second game of day
Rotowire
Horwitz is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Red Sox.
Horwitz will get a breather after he played seven innings earlier in the day in the Blue Jays' 4-1 win in the resumption of a game that had been suspended June 26 in the second inning. With Horwitz on the bench for the nightcap, Vladimir Guerrero will start at first base and George Springer will serve as Toronto's designated hitter.
... See More... See Less
Blue Jays' Spencer Horwitz: On base four times in loss
Rotowire
Horwitz went 2-for-3 with two walks, a double, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 11-7 loss to the Reds.
The 26-year-old slugged a two-run homer off Nick Martinez in the first inning, giving Horwitz his second long ball in as many games and his eighth of the year in 63 big-league contests. The multi-hit performance was his first since Aug. 9 though, and he's had trouble providing consistency to the Toronto lineup. Through 18 games in August, Horwitz is slashing .238/.338/.476 with three doubles, four home runs, nine RBI and 13 runs.
