Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Out 8-to-10 weeks with finger issue
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The Pirates placed Griffin on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a torn tendon in his left ring finger, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Per director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk, Griffin will wear a splint for six weeks and is expected to be sidelined for 8-to-10 weeks. That puts the rookie on the shelf until early September, at minimum, which is a massive blow to the Pirates and Griffin's fantasy managers. Jared Triolo will likely handle the bulk of the playing time at shortstop for the Pirates while Griffin is out.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Dealing with torn finger tendon
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Griffin has been diagnosed with a torn tendon in his left ring finger and could be sidelined for at least a month, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Griffin injured the finger while making a diving catch during Sunday's game against the Nationals. He remained in the contest to take two more plate appearances, striking out in one and delivering a two-run single in the other. Passan notes Griffin could opt to play through the injury, but the most likely option is to rehab it, which would shelve the shortstop for at least a month. If an absence is required, Griffin could spend about six weeks in a splint and be out until September, per Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. The Pirates should have more information on Griffin's status prior to Tuesday's contest against Atlanta.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Swipes 16th bag
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Griffin went 1-for-5 with a run scored and a stolen base Wednesday against the Phillies.
Griffin hit atop the Pirates' order for the fifth time in the last six games since being activated from the injured list, and he also has reached base in all but one of those contests. On Wednesday, he collected a single in the third inning and proceeded to steal his 16th base of the season, and his second since being activated. Griffin's performance was mixed, however, as he also stranded two runners in scoring position.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Idle Saturday
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Griffin isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Reds.
Griffin went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a hit-by-pitch during his first game back from the injured list Friday, but he'll take a seat Saturday while the Pirates look to manage his workload. Jared Triolo will fill in at shortstop and bat ninth.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Goes yard in return to lineup
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Griffin went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 6-4 loss to the Reds.
Activated from the IL earlier in the day after missing nearly a month due to a flexor strain, Griffin quickly demonstrated that he was fully recovered when he crushed the second pitch he saw from Andrew Abbott over the fence in left-center field. The precocious shortstop is slashing .275/.333/.420 through his first 52 big-league games with five homers, 14 steals, 23 RBI and 31 runs.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Making return from IL on Friday
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The Pirates activated Griffin (elbow) from the 10-day injured list Friday.
Griffin has been sidelined for all of June after being diagnosed with a flexor strain. He played just one rehab game with Double-A Altoona, reaching base in all four plate appearances which included a home run and a triple. Griffin played shortstop in that contest, so it does not appear the Pirates will ease the rookie back into things at designated hitter. He's at shortstop and batting leadoff in Friday's game versus the Reds. The 20-year-old was slashing .270/.327/.402 with four home runs and 14 stolen bases in 51 games before getting hurt.
Manager Don Kelly announced that Griffin (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on Wednesday, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
The rookie shortstop has been rehabbing his forearm strain in Florida and has been cleared for game action after ramping up his throwing program over the past week. Per Dan Zangrilli of 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh, Griffin could return to the Pirates' active roster as soon as this weekend's series against the Reds.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he expects Griffin (forearm) to play in minor-league rehab games by the end of the week, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Griffin has been rehabbing in Florida since landing on the shelf May 31 due to a right forearm strain, but he's expected to head north to Pittsburgh for an evaluation early this week before linking up with a minor-league affiliate. Throwing at full strength and velocity seems to be the biggest concern for Griffin as he works his way back from the injury, and the rookie phenom appears to be making progress on that front. Per MLB.com, Pirates manager Don Kelly said Saturday that Griffin has extended his throwing distance to 150 feet and was clocked at 89 mph while throwing from third base to first.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Throws from 90 feet Wednesday
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Griffin (elbow) did some flat-ground throwing from out to 90 feet Wednesday at about 75 percent intensity, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Griffin threw for the first time since he landed on the 10-day injured list May 31 due to a flexor strain in his right elbow. He also took part in fielding drills without throwing, which is something the rookie has done since first going on the IL. Griffin remains without a timeline to rejoin the Pirates' active roster, but more clarity on that front should become available as he continues to ramp up his throwing.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Looking at uncertain timeline
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Pirates general manager Ben Cherington relayed Sunday that Griffin is looking at a "more relaxed timeline" in his recovery from a flexor strain in his right elbow, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.
Cherington didn't offer an exact timeline for Griffin, but the former noted that the 20-year-old shortstop is looking at a longer stint on the 10-day injured list after more exams by team doctors. Griffin has yet to start throwing but has been taking groundballs, and the Pirates should have a better sense of Griffin's recovery timeline once he's cleared to play catch.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Shelved with strained elbow
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The Pirates placed Griffin on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to a flexor strain in his right elbow.
It's unclear exactly how long the 20-year-old has been dealing with the injury, but general manager Ben Cherington indicated that Griffin will likely be in line for a "short-term stay" on the IL, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Ryan O'Hearn (quadriceps) was reinstated from the 10-day IL in a corresponding move.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Serving as DH vs. Minnesota
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Griffin (forearm) is serving as the designated hitter and batting sixth against the Twins on Friday, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
Per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Griffin has not been cleared to throw due to a right forearm flexor strain but has been given the green light to hit. Marcell Ozuna will see a dip in playing time while Griffin gets rep at DH, and Jared Triolo will see more starts at shortstop as well.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Cleared to hit, not throw
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Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk told reporters Friday that Griffin is dealing with a muscle strain in his right forearm but has been cleared to serve as the team's designated hitter, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Griffin's forearm injury led to his absence from Thursday's lineup against the Cubs. The positive news is that the injury isn't severe enough for the 20-year-old shortstop to go on the injured list, but he has not been cleared to throw and will be restricted to hitting duties. As a result, Jared Triolo should see more time at shortstop, and Marcell Ozuna could see less playing time if the Pirates opt to use Griffin as the DH.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Managing forearm issue
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Griffin is dealing with soreness in his right forearm, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
Griffin won't be in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs, but he will be available off the bench, so it doesn't seem like his forearm issue is anything serious. Jared Triolo will pick up a start at shortstop while Griffin sits.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Batting leadoff versus lefty
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Griffin will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Tuesday's game against the Cubs.
The right-handed-hitting Griffin has hit second a few times versus lefties, but this will be his first-ever start in the leadoff spot. Griffin enters play Tuesday in a mini slump, having picked up only one hit across his last four contests.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Idle for series finale
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Griffin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
Griffin carried an eight-game hitting streak into the weekend, but after going 0-for-7 with a walk and three strikeouts through the first two games in Toronto, he'll be rested for the series finale. Jared Triolo will replace the star rookie at shortstop and bat ninth.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Racks up four hits, three runs
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Griffin went 4-for-5 with three runs scored in Wednesday's 7-0 win over the Cardinals.
All four hits were singles, and the Pirates' strong showing from the bottom of the order helped Griffin score multiple runs in a game for just the third time. This was his second four-hit effort of the month, and he's batting .343 (23-for-67) with seven extra-base hits and three stolen bases over 17 contests in May. Overall, the rookie shortstop is hitting .278 with a .738 OPS, three home runs, 20 RBI, 23 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples and 10 stolen bases through his first 43 MLB games.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Elevated to two hole versus lefty
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Griffin will start at shortstop and bat second in Wednesday's contest against the Rockies.
It's the first time in his young major-league career that Griffin has batted higher than sixth. Brandon Lowe has been the Pirates' regular No. 2 hitter versus righties and that will likely continue to be the case, but the right-handed-hitting Griffin is getting a chance in the two-hole Wednesday against southpaw Jose Quintana. After getting off to a slow start, Griffin is slashing .317/.380/.540 with three home runs and five stolen bases across his last 17 contests.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Pops third homer
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Griffin went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to the Giants.
Griffin has two homers over his last 12 games, and he's batting .333 (15-for-45) with three steals and seven RBI in that span. The shortstop has found some consistency at the plate lately, as he's been held hitless just once during that 12-game sample. He's batting .256 with a .721 OPS, three homers, 19 RBI, 15 runs scored, nine steals, five doubles and two triples through 35 contests this season.
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Pirates' Konnor Griffin: Clubs first homer on 20th birthday
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Griffin went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, two additional RBI and a steal in Friday's win over Milwaukee.
Griffin, who turned 20 years old Friday, bookended the scoring with his first big-league homer during the third inning and a two-run single in the eighth. The long ball ended an 0-for-11 skid, while the three-hit game is also the first of his MLB career. Griffin has yet to find his footing through his first 20 big-league games with a .214/.273/.314 slash line and 28.6 percent strikeout rate, but he's shown flashes of his upside and should continue to get an extended look after inking a nine-year, $140 million extension earlier this month.
