Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks after undergoing a procedure to his right wrist last week to address chronic symptoms, the team announced Wednesday.

The Pirates begin the season on March 27 in the opener of a four-game series against the host Miami Marlins.

The procedure was performed last week on Horwitz, who was traded twice on Dec. 10. Horwitz began the day as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays and ended it as a member of the Pirates, after a brief stopover with the Cleveland Guardians.

First, the Blue Jays acquired three-time Gold Glove-winning second baseman Andres Gimenez and right-hander Nick Sandlin from the Guardians in exchange for Horwitz and minor league outfielder Nick Mitchell.

Then Cleveland sent Horwitz to Pittsburgh in exchange for right-hander Luis L. Ortiz and minor league left-handers Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington told reporters that it was a new injury after consulting with Dr. Thomas Graham, who recommended that Horwitz undergo surgery.

“Shortly after PiratesFest, as he got into his offseason hitting progression, he experienced some new symptoms. So after some back and forth and a period of rest, we decided to have him checked out again by Dr. Graham,” Cherington said. “With a new MRI, Dr. Graham, who had also seen him when he was in Toronto, identified the new injury to the tendon in his right wrist and recommended the procedure that happened a couple weeks ago. … It’s frustrating and a setback.”

Horwitz, 27, appeared in 112 games for the Blue Jays over the past two seasons, including 97 in 2024. He batted .265 with a .367 on-base percentage, a .433 slugging percentage, 12 homers and 40 RBIs in 2024, giving him a career batting line of .264/.355/.428 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs.

–Field Level Media