Pirates Give Rehab News for Endy Rodríguez, Spencer Horwitz
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't had two of their more important lineup pieces for a while now, but they could have them back in the near future.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on The Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan that both catcher Endy Rodríguez and first baseman Spencer Horwitz are healing from their respective injuries and should each start a rehab assignment soon.
Rodríguez and Horwitz are both on the 10-day injured list, with Rodríguez suffering a left glute strain, retroactive to July 6, and Horwitz suffering a left hamstring strain that landed him back on the IL list on June 25.
“Yeah I think both Endy and Spencer, doing well, progressing well," Cherington said. We expect, don’t know exactly what date a rehab assignment would start, but we’re hopeful that within the next week to 10 days we’ll see them in rehab games.
“They’re both soft tissue injuries, obviously. We just got to make sure they’re in a good spot with those recovering well, but they’re both progressing well and it should be sooner rather than later.”
Rodríguez Gives Pirates a Reliable Hitting Catcher
The Pirates were looking for any catcher to provide some offense and the emergence of Rodríguez gave them that when they recalled him from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 12.
Rodríguez batted .260/.388/.470 for an OPS of .858 in 35 games from his promotion to his injury, with 26 hits in 100 at-bats, 15 runs scored, six doubles, five home runs, 16 RBI and 21 walks to 29 strikeouts.
He did so well, that the Pirates traded fellow catcher Joey Bart to the Atlanta Braves on June 18, when he was set to return from his left foot infection, which gave Rodríguez the spot on the major league roster.
Rodríguez is also a contrast to another Pirates catcher, Henry Davis, who has hit much better in July, but still has poor numbers on the year, .167/.266/.339 for an OPS of .605.
The Pirates would love to get Rodríguez back, especially if he and Davis can keep producing from the plate and bolstering one of the better offenses in baseball.
Spencer Horwitz Having Career Year Before Injury
Horwitz was one of the most important hitters for the Pirates this season and played a big role in their offensive success in the first three months of 2026.
He slashed .280/.386/.455 for an OPS of .841 in 74 games, with 69 hits, 11 doubles, 10 home runs, 33 RBI and 40 walks to 40 strikeouts.
Horwitz was incredibly effective at getting on base and ranked amongst the best in baseball before his injury.
The Pirates also deployed Horwitz throughout the batting order and had him in the leadoff spot for the last few weeks before his injury, where he excelled, hitting .276/.388/.469 for an OPS of .857.
Horwitz returning comes after he spent time down in Florida rehabbing and would also give Ryan O'Hearn a break at first base.
It also likely puts O'Hearn at designated hitter for the long haul, with rookie right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez dominating over the past three weeks, making a strong lineup even better.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.