The Pittsburgh Pirates may be hanging around the postseason race, but Tuesday brought a hit that could sting for a while. Konnor Griffin, the club’s rookie shortstop, is dealing with a torn tendon in his left ring finger and may be sidelined for at least a month.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the injury and laid out the two paths in front of Griffin. “Pittsburgh rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin has a torn tendon in his left ring finger, sources tell ESPN,” Passan reports. “While Griffin could play through it, rehab is the likeliest option and would keep him out at least a month.”
That’s a rough turn for Pittsburgh, especially because Griffin had only just come back from the injured list and was producing well in his first big league season. In 59 games and 225 at-bats, he has hit .276 with five homers, 25 RBIs, 62 hits, 10 doubles, two triples and a .736 OPS.
The Pirates do have one encouraging detail here: this is not being framed as a season-ending problem. Griffin still has a path back to the lineup later this year if the recovery goes well.
Still, the immediate outlook is bleak. Griffin is 20 years old and in his first big league season, and forcing him to grind through a torn tendon would be a risky move. The safer play is to let him heal, even if that means Pittsburgh goes without its young shortstop deep into the summer.
For now, the Pirates are left waiting on a key piece of their lineup, with mid-to-late August and September still sitting out there as possible return windows if everything breaks right.
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