Pirates Injury Update: Oneil Cruz progress, Wilber Dotel rehab assignment, Spencer Horwitz

The Pittsburgh Pirates are still waiting for Oneil Cruz’s bat to return to the lineup, but his latest rehab step offers a much-needed sign of progress.

General manager Ben Cherington said on The Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan that Cruz is headed to Bradenton, Fla., this week to continue his rehab from the non-displaced fractures in the fourth and fifth metacarpals of his left hand. Cruz has been out since June 10, retroactive to June 8, after suffering the injury while sliding into home plate against the Atlanta Braves on June 6.

Cherington said Cruz has been “reporting improvement every day” and has started gripping exercises, an important step toward eventually swinging a bat again. His cast is also off, signaling that the Pirates are ready for his baseball activity progression to pick up.

Moving Cruz to Florida should give him easier access to cages, medical staff and individualized work while the Pirates are on the road in Philadelphia and Washington this week. There's still no firm return date, but Cherington indicated the club hopes to have a better idea by the All-Star break.

Pirates Injury Update: Wilber Dotel begins rehab assignment with mixed results

The Pirates appear close to getting Wilber Dotel back, though his rehab assignment didn't come with a completely clean next step.

Dotel began his rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on Saturday after landing on the 15-day injured list June 13 with a right lat muscle strain. Cherington said Dotel had passed all of his tests before the outing, and the initial plan was for him to pitch two innings. Instead, Dotel threw one scoreless frame on 20 pitches.

Cherington said the outing went fine overall, but Dotel “wasn’t feeling quite as good,” so the Pirates brought him back to Pittsburgh to determine the next steps in his progression.

That doesn't necessarily mean a major setback, but it does make his return timeline less automatic than it appeared when the rehab assignment began. Dotel had been a valuable multi-inning bullpen weapon before the injury, posting a 1.08 ERA over his first seven MLB appearances before two rough outings prior to going on the IL.

Pirates Injury Update: Spencer Horwitz expected to miss extended period

Unfortunately, the Pirates will be without one of their most reliable bats for longer than a minimum injured list stint.

Cherington said first baseman Spencer Horwitz is dealing with a Grade 1-to-2 left hamstring injury and will miss “weeks, not days.” That timeline pushes his absence past the All-Star break and into July, though Cherington expressed confidence that Horwitz will return and play a meaningful portion of the season once the injury calms down.

Horwitz suffered the injury June 24 against the Seattle Mariners while trying to beat out a double play. He landed on the 10-day injured list the following day.

The loss is significant for a Pirates lineup that has struggled to stay healthy. Horwitz was slashing .280/.386/.455 with an .841 OPS, 10 home runs, 33 RBI and 40 walks in 74 games. His on-base ability had made him a strong fit atop the order.

In his absence, Ryan O’Hearn has shifted to first base, while Tyler Callihan and Esmerlyn Valdez continue to see more opportunities in right field.

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