Spencer Horwitz is set to take the next step back toward the Pittsburgh Pirates’ lineup.
The first baseman will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Bradenton on July 21, when the club hosts Dunedin, the Toronto Blue Jays’ affiliate, at LECOM Park. It’s the clearest sign yet that Horwitz is moving toward a full return after missing time with a left hamstring strain.
Horwitz last played for Pittsburgh on June 24, leaving the Pirates’ 11-1 win over the Seattle Mariners after trying to beat out a double play. Four weeks later, he’s trending in the right direction, and the rehab stint will be the test that gets him closer to rejoining the big league club.
Before the injury, Horwitz had been one of the Pirates’ most productive bats. In 74 games, he hit .280/.386/.455 with an .841 OPS, piling up 69 hits, 11 doubles, 10 home runs, 33 RBI and 40 walks against 40 strikeouts. He gave Pittsburgh exactly what it hoped for after acquiring him in the previous offseason, and even after missing nearly the first two months of the 2025 season, he still finished as the team’s best hitter.
What stands out most is how often he delivered from different spots in the order. Horwitz has hit in seven of nine lineup positions and handled nearly all of them well.
Early in the year, he usually batted sixth or seventh, then moved into the leadoff role for the month before the injury. In each of those spots, he hit around .275.
His return would come at a time when Pittsburgh’s offense has already been rolling. The Pirates have had the best offense in baseball this season, and getting Horwitz back would only deepen that group.
In his absence, Ryan O’Hearn has handled most of the first-base work, starting 17 of the past 21 games there. O’Hearn has held his own, hitting .269/.356/.487 with an .843 OPS in 21 games, collecting 21 hits in 78 at-bats with two doubles, five home runs and 20 RBI.
He also delivered one of the biggest individual games in Pirates history in the 12-4 win over the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park, launching three home runs and driving in 10 RBI. That made him the first player in franchise history and just the 11th MLB player to do it.
Tyler Callihan started three games at first base while Endy Rodríguez started one there, but O’Hearn has been the main fill-in. With that shuffle, Esmerlyn Valdez has taken over the starting right field job O’Hearn previously held, and he has been the best hitter in baseball over the past month.
The Pirates are still working through injuries elsewhere, with catcher Endy Rodríguez, shortstop Konnor Griffin and center fielder Oneil Cruz also sidelined. Even so, Horwitz beginning his rehab assignment gives Pittsburgh another important bat on the path back.
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