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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Eyeing return after All-Star break
Rotowire
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Horwitz (hamstring) will remain out for"weeks, not days," and the first baseman isn't expected to return from the 10-day injured list until after the All-Star break, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Pittsburgh placed Horwitz on the shelf Thursday, and Cherington's comments imply that the 28-year-old is dealing with more than a mild strain of his left hamstring and will require more than the minimum 10 days to make a full recovery. Ryan O'Hearn will make a fourth consecutive start at first base Sunday and should serve as the primary option at the position until at least mid-July. Before getting hurt, Horwitz had settled in as the Pirates' leadoff hitter and had slashed .280/.386/.455 with a 40:40 BB:K, 10 home runs, 33 RBI and 36 runs on the season.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Move to IL made official
Rotowire
The Pirates placed Horwitz on the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a left hamstring strain.
Horwitz suffered the injury during Wednesday's win over the Mariners. The Pirates haven't provided word on the severity of the strain, making it difficult to forecast a timeline for Horwitz's return. Horwitz will be eligible for activation in early July, but with the All-Star break looming, the Pirates could proceed cautiously with the first baseman and keep him on the shelf until the start of the second half, even if his strain is mild.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Heading to injured list
Rotowire
The Pirates are expected to place Horwitz (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Horwitz was lifted from Wednesday's game against the Mariners because of left hamstring discomfort. It's unclear at this point how severe the strain is, but even a mild one could knock Horwitz out through the All-Star break. While Horwitz is sidelined, the Pirates will likely use Ryan O'Hearn at first base and Marcell Ozuna at designated hitter most days.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Exits with hamstring injury
Rotowire
Horwitz was removed from Wednesday's game against the Mariners with left hamstring discomfort.
Horwitz went 0-for-1 with a walk before being lifted in favor of a pinch hitter in the fourth inning. The Pirates are still in the process of evaluating the 28-year-old, but there could be an update on his status after the game.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Tallies 10th homer
Rotowire
Horwitz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday against the Rockies.
Horwitz led off the game with his 10th home run of the season and third in his last 11 starts. His current career-best homer total in a season is 12, which he set in 2024 across 381 plate appearances. Horwitz will almost certainly clear that mark, and he also should continue to pick up plenty of counting stats while serving as Pittsburgh's primary leadoff hitter. Across his last 11 games, he's managed 10 runs scored and seven RBI while going 12-for-42.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Scores three runs
Rotowire
Horwitz went 2-for-4 with two walks, two doubles, one RBI and three runs scored Wednesday against the A's.
Horwitz helped the Pirates jump out to an early lead with a double in each of his first two plate appearances, and he came around to score on each occasion. This marked a fourth multi-hit performance in his last 10 starts, during which he's hit .275 with two homers, six RBI and seven runs scored. Horwitz also continues to serve as Pittsburgh's primary leadoff hitter against righties.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Smacks ninth homer
Rotowire
Horwitz went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Dodgers.
Horwitz provided needed insurance with his blast in the eighth inning, his ninth home run of the season. He's performed well across his last 15 starts, hitting .322 with five homers, seven RBI and 10 runs scored. Horwitz also continues to serve as Pittsburgh's primary leadoff hitter against right-handed pitchers.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Racks up three hits
Rotowire
Horwitz went 3-for-5 in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to the Astros.
Horwitz's bat remains hot -- he hasn't been held hitless in consecutive games since April 30-May 1. He has gone 13-for-36 (.361) with three extra-base hits over his last nine contests, a span that includes five multi-hit performances. The infielder is now batting .291 with an .852 OPS, seven home runs, 26 RBI, 24 runs scored, eight doubles, one triple and one stolen base. While Horwitz doesn't offer much speed, he gets on base enough (.390 OBP) to be a quality leadoff hitter in the absence of shortstop Konnor Griffin (elbow).
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Goes deep in win
Rotowire
Horwitz went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 10-9 win over the Twins.
Horwitz made an early impact, leading off the game with a homer before adding a single and scoring again in the second. It continued a magnificent May for the 28-year-old, who enters the final day of the month hitting .333 with 10 extra-base hits and 16 RBI through 25 games. On the season, he's slashing .292/.394/.470 with seven long balls, 26 RBI, 23 runs scored and one steal across 203 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Stays hot with another homer
Rotowire
Horwitz went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, two RBI and one run scored in Tuesday's 12-1 win over the Cubs.
Horwitz drove home the Pirates' eighth run of the game with a sac fly in the fifth and later took Daniel Palencia deep for a solo shot in the seventh to make it a 10-1 contest. It was Horwitz's sixth homer of the season and third in his last seven games. The first baseman has hit safely in 17 of 21 games this month and has raised his average 39 points during that span. Horwitz is slashing .289/.391/.467 with the six round trippers, 25 RBI, 20 runs scored, one stolen base and a 26:24 BB:K across 184 plate appearances this season. While he doesn't hit for much power, Horwitz doesn't strike out and has a high walk rate.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Swats fifth homer
Rotowire
Horwitz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk Sunday against the Blue Jays.
Horwitz went yard on the first pitch of the game, tallying his fifth homer of the season. He served as Pittsburgh's leadoff hitter for the second time this season, displacing Oneil Cruz. Horwitz has been solid in May, tallying two home runs, 13 RBI and seven runs scored while hitting .306 across 19 games.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Opens scoring with homer
Rotowire
Horwitz went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-0 win over the Cardinals.
Horwitz ended a 15-game homer drought when he went deep in the second inning. While he didn't find much power during that stretch, he batted .313 with 11 RBI and a 9:7 BB:K. Horwitz is now batting .276 with an .814 OPS, four long balls, 21 RBI, 16 runs scored, one stolen base, seven doubles and a triple through 44 contests this season. He continues to handle a strong-side platoon role at first base.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Idle against southpaw
Rotowire
Horwitz is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.
As is usually the case, the left-handed-hitting Horwitz will be left out of the starting nine while the Pirates face a lefty starter (Jose Quintana). Jared Triolo will step in at first base in place of Horwitz, who has gone 3-for-13 (.231 average) with four walks against lefties this season.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Two more hits Tuesday
Rotowire
Horwitz went 2-for-3 with a walk in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Rockies.
With a second straight two-hit game, Horwitz now has his average up to a season-high .272, and he's currently riding a six-game hitting streak. In nine games this month, Horwitz is 10-for-30 (.333) with four doubles, one triple, nine RBI, two runs scored and an 8:3 BB:K. On the year, Horwitz has an impressive .393 on-base percentage and has walked more times (23) than he's struck out (18) across 140 trips to the plate.
Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Returning to action Wednesday
Rotowire
Horwitz (neck) is in Pittsburgh's starting lineup against Texas on Wednesday.
Horwitz was scratched from Tuesday's lineup due to neck discomfort, but he has been cleared to return for Wednesday's bout. The 28-year-old first baseman is slashing .255/.382/.400 with two home runs, nine runs and five RBI over 68 plate appearances this season.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Scratched with neck discomfort
Rotowire
Horwitz was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rangers due to neck discomfort.
Horwitz will take a seat to give his neck a chance to recover and can be considered day-to-day for now. Ryan O'Hearn will move to first base to cover for Horwitz, opening up right field for Jake Mangum.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Slugs pinch-hit homer
Rotowire
Horwitz went 1-for-2 with a solo home run Sunday against the Rays.
Horwitz began the game on the bench with a lefty on the mound, though he entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning. He slugged his second homer of the season in his first plate appearance, both of which have come in his last seven appearances. He's gone 6-for-18 with three RBI and four runs scored in that span.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: Multi-hit showing
Rotowire
Horwitz went 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a walk Friday against the Rays.
Horwitz opened up the scoring with an RBI double in the second inning and proceeded to get on base three additional times. He has started every game against right-handed pitchers this season, and he's gone 9-for-26 with one home run, two RBI and five runs scored across his last 10 games.
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Pirates' Spencer Horwitz: On base three times
Rotowire
Horwitz went 1-for-2 with a single, two walks and a run scored Sunday against the Orioles.
Horwitz started his fourth straight game at first base, and he's reached base in each of those contests. He's been particularly patient, with his two free passes Sunday bringing his walk rate to 14.3 percent. Despite the value he has brought to Pittsburgh's lineup, he has only two runs and two RBI with only a .174 batting average across 28 plate appearances.
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