The Pittsburgh Pirates will activate first baseman Spencer Horwitz from the injured list for Saturday night’s game in Philadelphia. So said manager Don Kelly to a gaggle of reporters before the game, according to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It will be Horwitz’s long-awaited Pirates debut. The left-handed-batting Horwitz, 27, was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays via the Cleveland Guardians in a three-team trade last December. He was in Saturday’s starting lineup, hitting fifth.
Per Pirates manager Don Kelly, the Pirates are activating 1B Spencer Horwitz today. To clear a spot, they optioned 1B/OF Matt Gorski.
— Colin Beazley (@colin_beazley) May 17, 2025
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Pirates Activate Spencer Horwitz from IL
On February 12, it was announced that Horwitz would undergo surgery to repair his right wrist. At the time of the trade, the Pirates were aware of the issue but went on with the trade anyway. The expected recovery period was six to eight weeks. We’re well past that point. Horwitz won’t even get a chance to play for Derek Shelton, who the Pirates fired on May 8. In any event, after completing his minor league rehab assignment, Horwitz is finally ready to go.
Horwitz had a brief 15-game cup of coffee for Toronto in 2023. The Jays recalled him on June 8, 2024, and he spent the rest of 2024 with the big club. In 2024, he hit .265/.357/.433, 12 HR, and 40 RBI in 97 games. In the field, he split his time almost equally between first and second base. The Pirates plan to use Horwitz strictly as a first baseman. Initial impressions were that there were no plans to platoon him with a right-handed hitter. We’ll see whether that’s still the plan.
Into the Hornet’s Nest
According to Baseball Reference, Horwitz’s 162-game average figures translate to 19 home runs. Furthermore, in six minor league seasons plus his just-completed rehab, he’s hit .305/.410/.468. The Pirates would welcome that kind of production with open arms. They need it. The Pirates have been one of the worst-hitting teams in all of baseball. The team carries an overall slash line of .213/.281/.347 and has scored 139 runs. Only the Rockies have scored fewer runs in the majors. Pittsburgh has received little offense from first base, traditionally a power position.
Unfortunately for Horwitz, he’s walking right into a hornet’s nest. An increasingly ornery fan base is growing more and more impatient with the Pirates’ futility with the bats. A segment of the fan base believes the Pirates overpaid to obtain him. Horwitz will have to hit right out of the gate to win the Pirates fans over. The bat might be coming alive. Beginning his rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona, he was 2-for-18. It got better when he moved up to Triple-A Indianapolis. There, he was 10-for-31, including a three-hit game on May 13.
Down Goes Gorski
To make room for Horwitz on the active roster, rookie first baseman/outfielder Matt Gorski has been optioned back to Indianapolis. In 15 games since being called up on April 24, he was 8-for-42 with two home runs and a triple. Additionally, he provided good outfield defense, including robbing Kyle Schwarber of a home run on Friday night. While his .195 average left something to be desired, more likely he’s simply a victim of a numbers game, or maybe of Tommy Pham’s $4.025 million contract.
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