Pirates Place Spencer Horwitz On Injured List, Recall Jack Brannigan For MLB Debut
The Pirates fielded a first baseman/designated hitter Spencer Horwitz on the 10-day injured list due to a strained left hamstring, according to a team announcement. Striker Jack Brannigan he was sent back to Triple-A Indianapolis to fill his roster spot. He is not in the lineup today but will make his senior debut when he takes the field.
Horwitz has been one of the league’s most productive hitters for nearly a year now. Over the past 11 months or so, the 28-year-old has struck out 514 times and hit .295/.393/.492 with a whopping 13% walk rate and a 13.6% slugging percentage. He connected for 19 homers, 27 doubles and a triple along the way. In terms of wRC+, he was 46% better than the league average hitter in what is close to a full season’s number of at-bats.
Suffice it to say, losing Horwitz even for a short period of time is a huge blow to Pittsburgh’s offense. The team has not clarified that he is expected to stay out of the game for a long time. No matter how long Horwitz is on the shelf, Ryan O’Hearn will probably play first base every day. He really gets the nod out there today, hitting five, and a rookie Esmerlyn Valdez starting in right field (O’Hearn’s primary position this season).
As for the 25-year-old Brannigan, he will make a direct jump from Double-A to the majors. A third-round pick from Pittsburgh in 2022, Brannigan missed time earlier this season after breaking his nose during spring training when a grounder took a wild short-hop and caught him in the face. Since returning, he has totaled 173 plate appearances and slashed .231/.347/.517. Like Horwitz, Brannigan boasts a great walk rate (13.3%), but tends to swing and miss. He played 39% of the minor league games this season and hit at a 26.2% clip in Double-A last year before having season-ending shoulder surgery (lab repair).
Brannigan’s hit tool has always been his biggest question. Scouting reports peg him as a middle runner with above-average power, a combined arm and sound in any position on the left side of the infield. He also played a little bit of second base. That flexibility will provide Pittsburgh’s captain Don Kelly other options to mix and match in the infield position at a time when the standout rookie shortstop Connor Griffin he is on the injured list. Jared Triolo has seen most of the shortstop reps in Griffin’s absence but is hitting just .225/.299/.268 in 159 plate appearances this season.
Pittsburgh selected Brannigan off the 40-man roster last November to protect him in December’s Rule 5 Draft. So, he’s in the first year of three minor league options. Griffin has been locked in for a long time after signing a nine-year extension, as well as a previous 10-year option. Nick Gonzales he has established himself as a productive hit-over-power option at the hot corner this season. He could return to second base next year, when he’s better suited for defense, depending on what happens with the slugger. Brandon Lowe in free agency this winter. Whether it’s second or third, there may be an opportunity for Brannigan and other young infielders in the coming seasons, but Brannigan will need to significantly reduce his hitting to have a real shot at carving a role in the Pirates’ long-term infield picture.
