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Horwitz has started eight games in the leadoff spot and 10 more in the middle of the order this month and has totaled one run scored in 82 plate appearances. He’s batting .147/.220/.160 during the span. It would make sense for the Pirates to him lower. Even when he’s going well, his extreme lack of speed is something of a problem leading off.

Horwitz snapped a scoreless stalemate by ripping a bases-clearing double down the right-field line against Brewers starter Brandon Sproat in the third inning. The 28-year-old first baseman has gone 1-for-8 at the dish in a pair of games since returning from the injured list over the weekend.

Horwitz had been sidelined since late June due to a hamstring strain and then suffered a concussion while on his rehab stint that cost him some additional time. His return should provide a nice boost to the Pirates’ offense. Billy Cook was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move on Sunday.

Horwitz was working to return from a hamstring injury and seemed close to rejoining the Pirates lineup, but he was hit in the helmet over the weekend and has been diagnosed with a concussion. As of now, there is no timeline for his return from this second injury, but it seems that he won’t be back this week.

Horwitz is working his way back from a hamstring strain that put him on the injured list on June 25. He’ll need a couple additional tune-up contests to get back up to speed before making it back to Pittsburgh. There’s a chance he’s back before the end of July.

Horwitz left Wednesday’s game with hamstring discomfort and now finds himself on the injured list; although, there is no set timeline for his return right now. The 28-year-old is hitting .280/.386/.455 with 10 home runs, 36 runs scored, and 33 RBI in 74 games this season as a key member of the Pirates lineup. Ryan O’Hearn should play a lot of first base with Horwitz sidelined.

Horwitz will undergo further evaluation after exiting the contest in the fourth inning. He finished 0-for-1 with a walk out of the leadoff spot. There should be an update on his status prior to Thursday’s series finale.

Horwitz scored three runs for the first time this season. He’s far from a prototypical leadoff man with his fourth-percentile sprint speed, but he’s hitting .281 with a .389 OBP this season. He’s even getting the job done in limited action against lefties, amassing a .383 OBP in 47 plate appearances.

Horwitz’s homer notably came off left-hander Jack Dreyer, a two-run blast in the bottom of the eighth that gave Pittsburgh a couple of insurance runs they ended up needing. The lefty-swinging first baseman doesn’t start against every southpaw, but he isn’t a strict platoon hitter and bats leadoff against righties.

Horwitz delivered some of the only offense Pittsburgh could muster against Bryce Elder. The first baseman has now led off against 12 consecutive right-handed pitchers, notable considering the Pirates entered Sunday ranked fourth in runs per game. Horwitz has more walks than strikeouts this season and makes for a nice batting average play in roto when combined with non-zero power and a premium lineup slot.

It wraps up a 5-for-14 weekend series for Horwitz, who homered on Saturday. The first baseman has worked his way into everyday playing time for the Pirates, including seven straight starts leading off against right-handers. Horwitz leaves Sunday’s win with more walks than strikeouts and a career-high 142 wRC+. The absence of speed is his only profile hole for fantasy leagues, as he’s a batting-average asset with non-zero power hitting atop a lineup that ranks fourth in the majors in runs scored.

Horwitz finds himself atop Pittsburgh’s lineup card for the third time in their last four games with Konnor Griffin getting the nod in the other contest. The 28-year-old first baseman has been swinging it well for a couple weeks, slashing .309/.397/.505 with four homers, 20 RBI and one steal over his last 30 games. He’s also drawn 15 walks and struck out only 11 times during that span. He’s certainly earned an extended look as the Pirates’ top-of-the-order table-setter based on his recent production.

Horwitz wasted no time in this one, ambushing a first-pitch changeup from Dylan Cease. He also drew a walk in the contest, finishing the afternoon 1-for-4. On the season, the 28-year-old is now hitting a respectable .274/.381/.438 with five homers and 23 RBI in 176 plate appearances.

Horwitz has been tearing the cover off the ball recently, hitting .364 (8-for-22) with six RBI and more walks (five) than strikeouts (three) over his last seven games. The 28-year-old lacks the requisite power production to be a viable mixed-league fantasy starter, but he’s doing enough from a batting average standpoint to be a corner infield option in deeper leagues. It’ll be Jared Triolo at the cold corner on Wednesday night in his place.

Horwitz breathed some life into his club with his fifth inning solo shot when they were down 3-0. The Pirates’ offense still stalled after that, but Horwitz has heated up of late. He’s hit all three of his home runs this season in his last 15 games and has a .919 OPS over that stretch with more walks than strikeouts. If nothing else, he’ll always be able to crush right-handed pitching.

Horwitz is back at first base and hitting seventh after being a late scratch from Tuesday’s lineup due to neck discomfort. It winds up being just a one-game absence.

Ryan O’Hearn takes over at first base with Jake Mangum heading out to right field. Horwitz is presumably day-to-day for now. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

The 28-year-old first baseman has been having a hard time at the plate so far in Grapefruit League play, hitting just .176 (3-for-17) with a 4/1 K/BB ratio. He still has a couple of weeks to get into a groove before Opening Day.

That’s a 30-point bump in OPS (.755 to .786) on the third-to-last-day of the season, and oddly enough, it came in just his second start all year against a left-hander (though both homers came off right-handed relievers). It’s Horwitz’s fourth career two-homer game, which is pretty incredible for someone with a total of 24 homers in 218 big league games. The Pirates should have reservations about going forward with such a low-ceiling first baseman, but the big game tonight means he’ll probably finish with an OPS+ in the 110-115 range, just as he did for the Blue Jays last year, and he’s set to make close to the minimum again next season. Upgrading from him will probably be a low priority for a thrifty franchise.

Horwitz was the Pirates’ offense in this one. He drove the only two runs they could muster against Hunter Greene and then smacked a go-ahead double in the 11th that proved to be the winning run. After missing the first seven weeks of the season with a wrist injury and then struggling to get going through the summer, he has an .860 OPS over his 30 games with more walks than strikeouts.