Spencer

Horwitz

This move is procedural since Horwitz has been out for weeks already. The 27-year-old was originally set to miss six to eight weeks and he has already been out for six. The Pirates have been quiet about his progress, but its possible that Horwitz may be headed to a rehab assignment soon.

Horwitz, who underwent surgery two weeks ago, is staying in shape by swinging a bat with his left hand and fielding grounders without making throws. He’s hoping to be ready for Opening Day, but we’re still a ways off from knowing if that’s realistic.

The official timeline comes from a team statement after The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Andrew Destin and Noah Hiles reported late Tuesday that Horwitz showed up at spring training in a cast and would miss time this spring as he recovers from right wrist surgery. The 27-year-old was emerging as a savvy late-round sleeper candidate for fantasy managers prior to this latest development following a mid-December trade to the Pirates where he’s expected to eventually take over as the club’s starting first baseman. The 27-year-old’s strong plate discipline and contact skills led to a solid .265/.357/.433 triple-slash line with 12 homers in 381 plate appearances last year for the Blue Jays in his first extended opportunity in the majors. There should be some additional clarity on his Opening Day status once he resumes baseball activities in a couple weeks. Stay tuned.

It’s been a busy day for Horwitz, who heads to Pittsburgh following his inclusion in a multi-player swap with the Guardians. The widely-held assumption here is that the Pirates have their first baseman of the future. The 27-year-old, who makes a ton of contact and boasts strong plate disciple as well, slashed .265/.357/.433 with 12 homers across 381 plate appearances in 97 contests last year for the Blue Jays in his first extended opportunity at the highest level. Given the lack of quality options at the cold corner for fantasy purposes, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were borderline mixed league-relevant next season playing everyday for the Pirates.

It’s merely a procedural move as Horwitz was subsequently shipped to the Pirates for righty Luis Ortiz and a pair of left-handed pitching prospects. We’re assuming Cleveland doesn’t want to put too many obstacles of top prospect Travis Bazzana, who was selected first overall in last year’s MLB Draft.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds the Guardians are getting left-handed pitching prospect Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy, in addition to big-league righty Luis Ortiz in the deal. Technically, Horwitz hasn’t been officially traded to the Guardians yet. However, once that deal is announced, he’s going to be on the move again, this time to Pittsburgh. No word yet on the return from the Pirates. The 27-year-old, who makes a ton of contact and boasts strong plate disciple as well, figures to take over as Pittsburgh’s primary first baseman, unless they make some additional moves in the lead up to spring training.

The details of the swap, which hasn’t been made official yet, are beginning to leak out. Horwitz was sneaky-good last year for the Blue Jays, slashing .265/.357/.433 with 12 homers across 381 plate appearances in 97 contests. The versatile 27-year-old figures to replace Giménez as Cleveland’s primary second baseman moving forward. If he continues hitting for power, he’ll work his way onto fantasy managers’ radar screens, especially in deeper mixed leagues.

Horwitz got the start at first base, hitting cleanup for the Blue Jays. He knocked a base hit in the first inning, then drive in a run with a single in the fifth. Horwitz later drew a walk in the seventh and scored on a triple by Alejandro Kirk. The 26-year-old infielder is hitting .275/.364/.456 with 12 homers, 46 runs scored, and 37 RBI across 354 plate appearances.

Horwitz homered off Spencer Schwellenbach twice, and both were solo shots for the 26-year-old. He also drove in a run with a double in the fifth, and he’s now plated 32 runners to go with 11 homers. Six of those deep balls have come since the start of August, as he’s starting to drive the ball on a more consistent basis. It bodes well for Horwitz in the future, and fantasy managers should look to play the hot hand.

Despite being thought of as more of a batting average asset, Horwitz now has five home runs in 28 games in August after hitting four in 45 games in June and July to start his MLB career. Of course, his batting average has also fallen in August, but if Horwitz can display 15-20 home run power while keeping his elite plate discipline and strong batting average, he could have more fantasy juice than we anticipated.