Spencer Horwitz made his long-awaited Pittsburgh Pirates debut on May 17 against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Ball Park. The left-handed hitting first baseman went 0-for-2 and threw a runner out at home plate. Horwitz, 27, was pulled in the seventh when Philadelphia left-handed reliever Matt Strahm entered the game.
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He underwent wrist surgery on March 27, 2025, and was placed on the IL just before opening day. He was activated for a rehab assignment on May 6, and it was announced he would make his season debut on May 17 by Pirates’ interim manager Don Kelly. First baseman and outfielder Matt Gorski was optioned to the minor leagues as the corresponding move.
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Horwitz was traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Cleveland Guardians along with Nick Mitchell on Dec. 10, 2024, for a package headlined by Andres Gimenez that also included Nick Sandlin. In less than 24 hours, the Guardians then flipped him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz and left-handed pitching prospects Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy.
The Blue Jays drafted Horwitz in the 24th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Horwitz played in their minor league farm system for five seasons and was called up to MLB on September 1, 2023. He split time between MLB and the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, in 2024.
Horwitz showed promise at the MLB level in 2024 with 12 home runs, 40 RBI, and a slash line of .265/.357/.433 in 328 at-bats.
Horwitz was born in Maryland, and played for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic in Pool D at loanDepot Park in Miami. Team Israel went 1-3 in the WBC, and Horwitz had two hits in 11 at-bats with one RBI.
WBN MLB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mlb/
Photo: Israel Spencer Horwitz (4) and Noah Mendlinger celebrate after scoring on a hit by Garrett Stubbs during the eighth inning of a World Baseball Classic game against Nicaragua, Sunday, March 12, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
