BRADENTON, Fla. – The Pittsburgh Pirates have a glaring hole at first base, but if they are about to make a big move to bolster their roster, it’s news to general manager Ben Cherington.
Cherington said the Pirates are still talking to free agents and open to potential trades, but no deals are imminent to address the opening created when newly acquired Spencer Horwitz underwent surgery last week on his right wrist.
“We haven’t stopped working since we got here. We’re going to keep at it,” Cherington said Friday afternoon at MLB’s Spring Training Media Day at LECOM Park. “We’re not on the doorstep of anything.”
With Horwitz expected to be out six to eight weeks before returning to game action, Cherington said the Pirates intend to use his absence as a way to “create an opportunity for us to get other position players that we like and believe in, at-bats and chances to play.”
The Pirates acquired Horwitz from the Cleveland Guardians on Dec. 10 in exchange for right-handed starter Luis Ortiz and minor league lefties Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy. Horwitz batted .265/.357/.433 with 19 doubles, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 97 games with the Toronto Blue Jays last season and was slated to start at first base for the Pirates.
“Obviously, we would prefer that it didn’t happen, period,” Cherington said. “It’s frustrating for Spencer. He was really upset because he was so excited to be here and be a part of what we are doing, and he’s still going to be. It’s just a bump in the road. So, disappointed in that.”
Cherington reiterated that the Pirates were aware that Horwitz had chronic symptoms in his right wrist, but that his injury occurred after the trade was completed. Cherington said the Pirates still don’t know how Horwitz sustained his injury, only that he reached out some time after appearing at PiratesFest on the weekend of Jan. 17-19 and informed club officials that it wasn’t “feeling right.”
After some back and forth, the Pirates recommended that Horwitz visit orthopedic surgeon Dr. Thomas Graham, a hand specialist who previously had treated Horwitz for another injury.
“The MRI that was taken when he went to see Dr. Graham, most recently, showed an injury to the tendon that had not been there in the last MRI that had been taken while he was still a Blue Jay,” Cherington said. “Sometime in between the acquisition and when he went to see Dr. Graham, this thing happened. We don’t know for sure exactly how that happened. It would be speculating. It was clear to us, based on the information we got and from Dr. Graham, that somehow it occurred during the time in the offseason.”
The Pirates will have their first full-squad workout Monday at Pirate City. Among those taking grounders at first base in the optional workouts for position players this week are NL Gold Glove utility player Jared Triolo and non-roster invitees Darick Hall and Matt Gorski.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton told TribLive that they don’t intend to ask 38-year-old designated hitter Andrew McCutchen to play first base. Shelton said the plan is to rotate players there during big league camp before reducing the pool to a select number in the final week.
“It’s the first opportunity we’re going to have this year,” Shelton said. “We’re going to have somebody else that gets hurt. We’re going to have somebody else that doesn’t perform. For us to be able to sustain and win, someone’s going to have to step into that role and take it. This is just the first of those opportunities.
“Now, in this case, because of where we’re at in the timeline for the season or preseason, we have the opportunity to get a bunch of people at-bats. At some point during the season, when someone doesn’t perform or we lose him to injury, someone is going to have to step up in the moment. Right now, we have the ability to really make a calculated decision about what we feel is best. It’s just the first of what will be many opportunities for us.”