Spencer Horwitz and Dauri Moreta Have Rehab Assignments Transferred to Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS – The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced that the rehab assignments of first baseman Spencer Horwitz and right-handed pitcher Dauri Moreta have been transferred to the Indianapolis Indians as they open a six-game series against the Columbus Clippers tonight at 6:35 PM. They are the third and fourth rehabbers assigned to Indy this season, following infielder Jared Triolo and right-handed pitcher Colin Holderman.

Horwitz, 27, was placed on the 10-day injured list on March 27, retroactive to March 24, after undergoing right wrist surgery on Feb. 12. Horwitz began a rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on April 27 and appeared in five games between first base and designated hitter with a .125 batting average (2-for-16), one double, two walks and two runs.

The first baseman appeared in 112 games with Toronto between 2023 and 2024, hitting .264 (97-for-367) with 51 runs, 21 doubles, 13 home runs, 47 RBI and 46 walks. He posted a .790 OPS across 97 games in 2024.

Horwitz was traded to Pittsburgh from Toronto on Dec. 10, 2024, in exchange for RHP Luis Ortiz, LHP Michael Kennedy and LHP Josh Hartle. He was originally selected in the 24th round (717th overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Radford University (Radford, Va.). He made his major league debut on June 18, 2023, with Toronto at Texas, going 1-for-2 with one RBI, two walks and one run.

Moreta, 29, was placed on the 60-day injured list on Feb. 16 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and being sidelined for the entire 2024 season. Nearly 14 months after his last professional appearance, the right-hander began a rehab assignment with High-A Bradenton on April 29 and tossed 2.0 scoreless innings in two games.

The reliever was a bright spot in Pittsburgh’s 2023 bullpen, appearing in 55 games with a 3.72 ERA (24er/58.0ip). He struck out a career-high 76 batters and held opponents to a career best .187 average (39-for-209).

Moreta is known for his signature slider, which can feature both glove-side break like a traditional slider, and arm-side break to create a screwball-like offering. In his career, opponents have hit just .149 (25-for-168) against this primary pitch.

The Dominican native was traded to Pittsburgh from Cincinnati on Nov. 18, 2022, in exchange for infielder Kevin Newman. He was originally signed by Cincinnati on March 16, 2015, as a non-drafted free agent and made his MLB debut with Cincinnati on Sept. 26, 2021, vs. Washington, tossing 1.0 scoreless inning and punching out Lane Thomas for his first career strikeout.

Indianapolis’ MLB rehab assignments are presented by Franciscan Health