Konnor Griffin May Take Next Step: What It Means for Pirates Return
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't had Konnor Griffin play shortstop for the past two weeks, but Griffin is progressing towards making his full return.
Griffin, who has been dealing with a right forearm muscle strain, said that he would begin throwing again the following day on June 10, which would start his throwing program and get him on track to eventually come off the 10-day injured list and play shortstop once again.
Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomcyzk said that Griffin isn't throwing on June 10, officially, but that once he gets clearance, he'll start doing so, as he already had clearance to hit from day one.
“He has a resolving muscle strain in his forearm," Tomczyk said. "He began to throw plyos this past weekend, so very encouraging. He is scheduled to see our team physician in the coming days for hopefully clearance to begin a formal throwing program. He’s been clear to hit from day one, so all in all, we’re very encouraged with how Konnor is coming along.”
What This Means for Griffin Going Forward
Griffin last played shortstop for the Pirates almost two weeks ago on May 27 vs. the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park, but pain in his arm stopped him from doing so since.
He played designated hitter the first two games of the series vs. the Minnesota Twins at PNC Park, May 29-30, but soon went on the 10-day injured list on May 31.
Griffin saw Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas, Texas last week, when the Pirates took on the Houston Astros at Daikin Park, June 2-4, who originally changed the location of the injury when he saw images, but eventually agreed with the Pirates medical staff when he got to see Griffin, per Tomczyk.
Tomcyzk also said that the ligament is "stable", which means that Griffin won't have to undergo surgery. He clarified that "resolving" means that Griffin is getting better, so there is no setback in his return yet.
Griffin will start throwing 90 feet once he is officially cleared and then if he feels good doing that, he'll continue his progression.
“I believe Konnor shared that he anticipates throwing to 90 (feet) and that’s great," Tomczyk said. "Once we see how he responds to 90, then we will come up with a more definitive outlined plan. I know it sounds like I’m dancing around this, and I’m really not. These are all data points that really guide the return.”
Griffin will spend extra time out injured than originally anticipated, but him throwing plyometrics is an important step and his throwing program will put him on track to a full return, which Pirates manager Don Kelly is eagerly awaiting.
"Obviously Konnor is hugely important to us and we want him back on the field as soon as possible," Kelly said. "And we want to make sure he's in a really good spot to go back out there and do what he's capable of doing. Obviously disappointing when that gets extended a little bit. Excited to hear he's going to be throwing tomorrow. We're having our meeting later and sounds like from plyos on Sunday to today, everything's progressing really well."
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.