With Spencer Horwitz out after wrist surgery, Pirates explore internal options at 1st base

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Pirates suffered a serious setback before spring training started, as newly acquired first baseman Spencer Horwitz will miss six to eight weeks after undergoing wrist surgery.

Horwitz’s absence, possibly for the entirety of spring training, forces general manager Ben Cherington to go back to the drawing board on figuring out a solution at first base.

Cherington said the Pirates will “stay open minded” to exploring external options but added that “right now we’re focused on the guys who are here.” One player the Pirates are preemptively ruling out is two-time All-Star Bryan Reynolds, who is switching positions but not moving to first base.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Reynolds will move from left field to right field this spring, allowing newly signed Tommy Pham to play left field with Oneil Cruz slated to start in center. Reynolds has flirted with the idea of playing first base, taking grounders and doing glove work around the bag late last season and this offseason.

“I think the first-base thing has come because he’s just such a good baseball player and a good teammate and he’s trying to make himself available to do whatever the team needs and help the team win,” Cherington said. “Based on all the information we have, we also want to put him in the best position to just be in the lineup every day. That’s the most important thing is just (having) Reynolds in the lineup every day. Right now, barring something unforeseen, I would expect that to be in the outfield.”

The Pirates were counting on the 27-year-old Horwitz to start at first base, where Rowdy Tellez and Connor Joe split playing time last season. The left-handed hitter batted .265/.357/.433 with 19 doubles, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 97 games for the Toronto Blue Jays last season before being dealt to Cleveland on the same day the Pirates acquired him in a trade involving right-hander Luis Ortiz and two minor league pitchers.

Pirates GM Ben Cherington said the team was aware of Spencer Horwitz’s history of symptoms with tendons in his right wrist before acquiring him and that a new injury was what required surgery. pic.twitter.com/GWv2ud7C4I

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 12, 2025

Cherington said the Pirates were aware Horwitz had chronic symptoms in the tendon in his right wrist before acquiring him from Cleveland on Dec. 10 and “felt comfortable” completing the trade. Over the past month, Cherington said, Horwitz experienced new symptoms during his offseason hitting progression. The Pirates had Horwitz see Dr. Thomas Graham, an orthopedic hand surgeon, who recommended the procedure.

“Very clear to us based on the information we got from Dr. Graham that what happened that led to the surgery is new since the trade,” Cherington said Wednesday morning at Pirate City. “It’s frustrating and a setback, but it’s new information.”

So is the Pirates’ plan to shift Reynolds to right field, where he played 157 innings over 22 games last season. Shelton said the switch is being made in hopes of shortening up the ground Reynolds has to cover and his throws to home plate. Reynolds recorded 11 outfield assists but had minus-5 defensive runs saved in 1,016 2/3 innings over 118 games in left last season.

“I think our plan right now is to play Bryan in right,” Shelton said. “It’s a combination of a bunch of things. We started him there last year at the beginning of the year and planned on keeping him there and then because of other circumstances (he went back to left). But Bryan had, what, 11 outfield assists last year and now we’re going to shorten up where he’s at. I think we can take advantage of his full skill set by being in right.”

With Spencer Horwitz out after wrist surgery, Pirates GM Ben Cherington discusses possibilities at first base. pic.twitter.com/LBWzIgztNw

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 12, 2025

Internal options at first base include NL Gold Glove utility infielder Jared Triolo and rookie Billy Cook, who each started four games at first base last September, as well as veteran non-roster invitees Darick Hall and DJ Stewart. Hall has played 737 games at first base over eight seasons in the minors and 23 games there for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022-23. Stewart’s experience is more limited, as the outfielder played 21 games at first base in the minors and one with the New York Mets.

With Horwitz set to miss the majority of spring training, Cherington said the Pirates have discussed approaching other players about the possibility of a position switch and opportunity for additional playing time but declined to elaborate on any candidates until he’s had a chance to personally broach the subject with them. Cherington also effectively ruled out Endy Rodriguez as a possibility, saying the Pirates want him to remain at catcher this spring.

“We’ve got some guys that we want to certainly learn more about … guys who have shown offensive potential at a major-league level and now will have an opportunity to get a lot of reps here at spring training,” Cherington said. “I think it’s quite possible that we see some guys get some work there that haven’t in the past or haven’t as much in the past before. Perhaps this is an opportunity to get a bat in the lineup that maybe otherwise we’d have a hard time doing. We’re going to focus mostly internally, and part of that is because of Spencer. We believe Spencer himself will be part of that before too long.”