Pirates forced into bold prospect promotion after Spencer Horwitz hits injured list

Even when the Pittsburgh Pirates win a series they desperately needed, they cannot catch a break. Much of the Pirates top-10 lineup in baseball is now injured, including Konnor Griffin and Oneil Cruz, which has forced the likes of Bryan Reynolds and Spencer Horwitz to carry the load.

Now, Reynolds is on his own, as the Pirates have placed Horwitz on the injured list after he suffered a hamstring injury in Wednesday night's win over Seattle. Hamstring injuries can be rather unpredictable with the timelines varying drastically.

After Wednesday night's win, the 28-year-old had an .842 OPS and 10 home runs for the Pirates this season.

Who will take Spencer Horwitz's place on the Pirates roster?

In Horwitz's place, the Pirates have promoted top prospect Jack Brannigan from Double-A. The 25-year-old had an .855 OPS in 31 games with the Altoona Curve. It's a bit of a surprise the Pirates would trust a player like Brannigan, whose minor league career has been heavily impacted by injuries. Plus, the gap between the minor leagues and MLB has never been wider. Now Ben Cherington wants the Pirates 22nd-ranked prospect to make such a leap and play a vital role in the NL Wild Card race? Good luck with that.

Brannigan primarily plays third base and shortstop, so it's unlikely he'll slide in as extra depth at first base with Horwitz out. Instead, Don Kelly will likely turn to Ryan O'Hearn in this spot, or possibly even Jared Triolo if he can cut it at first, where he's listed on the official team depth chart.

The one thing Brannigan can do consistently is field the baseball. Even if he's only utilized as a defensive replacement off the bench, his 60-grade field and arm tools suggest he'd be an upgrade over much of Pittsburgh's current roster.

Can the Pirates lineup survive another major injury?

The good news for Pittsburgh is that Griffin is nearing a return. He had a rehab game in Triple-A Indianapolis earlier this week, and even has a locker at PNC Park ready. Expect the former No. 1 prospect in all of baseball to be activated off the injured list shortly.

Without Horwitz, though, the Pirates lineup will be asked to do something it wasn't constructed for — show off their defensive flexibility. O'Hearn could play more first base, which means Pittsburgh will turn elsewhere in the corner outfield spots. Marcell Ozuna is useless, so the Pirates cannot count on him to provide some power while Horwitz is out. Triolo, who can play pretty much anywhere in the outfield, could be asked to take some reps at first as well.

No one said staying true to form over a 162-game MLB schedule was easy. The Pirates have been tested time and time again this season, and we haven't even gotten to the bullpen in this article.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow