The Pirates are going to be without their first baseman for a while.
Spencer Horwitz tweaked his hamstring running out a ground ball in the Pirates’ 11-1 win against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
Appearing on his weekly radio show on Sunday on flagship 93.7 The Fan, general manager Ben Cherington gave a bleak assessment of Horwitz’s injury.
Horwitz is expected to be out “weeks, not days” and will likely not be back until after the All-Star break.
The Pirates return from the All-Star break against
the Cleveland Guardians on July 17, which would sideline Horwitz for nearly a month.
One of the most underrated players in baseball this season, Horwitz is fifth in the NL with a .386 on-base percentage. He is two spots below Bryan Reynolds (.402), who is third behind Shohei Ohtani (.412) and Juan Soto (.406). Ivan Herrera (.387) is in between the two teammates.
In 246 at-bats over 74 games, Horwitz is slashing .280/.386/.455 with an .841 OPS. His 10 home runs before July are the most in his career and are two away from tying his career high (12) in 2024.
An improving defender whom the Pirates relied on in the leadoff spot, Horwitz provided timely hits and drove in 33 runs through the first three months. He also owns an even strikeout-to-walk total (40).
The Pirates will play a gauntlet of NL contenders over the next two weeks, beginning with four against the cross-state Philadelphia Phillies.
In a cool scheduling move, the Pirates play in the nation’s capital against the Washington Nationals on Fourth of July weekend.
Pittsburgh will face the Phillies, Nationals, Braves, and Brewers before the All-Star Game, all of whom are either in a playoff spot or ahead of the Pirates in the race to the playoffs. This stretch could define the season.
