Konnor Griffin News Gives Pirates One Last Playoff Shot
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have three weeks of games left in 2026, but Konnor Griffin's return gives the rest of the season purpose.
The Pirates activated Griffin off the 60-day injured list on Sept. 4, making him available for the series opener against the Los Angeles Angels at PNC Park and marking his first game back in over two months.
His return coincides with the Pirates at 69-72 and five games back from the last spot in the National League Wild Card race with just 21 games remaining.
Griffin comes back just in time to give the Pirates what they need to make a late run at the postseason, even with the odds not in their favor.
How Griffin's Return Will Bolster the Pirates
The Pirates get one of their best players back in Griffin, who has excelled in so many areas as a rookie.
Griffin made his MLB debut on April 3 and has played in 59 games, hitting .276/.332/.404 for an OPS of .736, with 62 hits, 10 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 25 RBI and 20 stolen bases on 21 attempts.
His play gave the Pirates a right-handed bat that can hit for power and contact, a top defensive shortstop with a great glove and a strong arm, incredible speed on the base paths and combining all those traits to make one of the best young talents in baseball.
Griffin has been injured most of the past three seasons, with a right forearm flexor strain knocking him out for 22 games from May 31 to June 25, and then a left ring finger sagittal band tear, which forced him out for the last 50 games since July 6.
The Pirates have gone 31-28 with Griffin playing, 3-3 before his debut, 10-12 during his first injury and 23-27 over his second injury.
That's 36-42 when Griffin doesn't play and three games above .500 when he does play, nine games better for the Pirates.
Griffin will replace both Jared Triolo and Jacob Gonzalez at shortstop, who have not hit anywhere near as well during his second injury.
Triolo hit .246/.319/.310 for an OPS of .629 and Gonzalez, whom the Pirates traded their 34th overall pick for, hit .204/.233/.378 for an OPS of .611.
Griffin being that right-handed bat is also crucial, as the Pirates have struggled massively against left-handed pitching in 2026, 14-30 on the season and 6-13 after the All-Star break when a southpaw starts.
The Pirates now have one of their best defensive players, hitters and fielders in the lineup on an everyday basis, which will give them a much better shot at making the postseason.
Where Pirates Stand in NL Wild Card Race
Team | Record (Win %) | Games Ahead/Back |
|---|---|---|
Philadelphia Phillies | 79-61 (.564) | +5.5 |
Chicago Cubs | 79-62 (.560) | +5.0 |
Arizona Diamondbacks | 74-67 (.525) | - |
San Diego Padres | 73-67 (.521) | 0.5 |
Miami Marlins | 71-70 (.504) | 3.0 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 70-71 (.496) | 4.0 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 69-72 (.489) | 5.0 |
The Pirates remain five games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are 74-67 and occupy the last NL Wild Card spot.
Pittsburgh is behind three other teams, the San Diego Padres, a half game back, the Miami Marlins, three games back, and the St. Louis Cardinals, four games back.
Other teams include the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, who are 5.5 games and five games ahead, respectively, making them almost locks for the postseason.
The Pirates have 21 games left, starting with this series against the Angels, who have the worst record in MLB at 53-87.
Pittsburgh then travels to Chicago to face the White Sox, Sept. 8-10, and the Cubs, Sept. 11-13, return for a nine-game homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sept. 15-17, the Kansas City Royals, Sept. 18-20, and the Cardinals, Sept. 21-23, then finish off the season against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, Sept. 25-27.
The Pirates face divisional leaders in the White Sox and Brewers, NL Wild Card and NL Central foes in the Cubs and Cardinals, then two below .500 teams in the Royals and Tigers.
Pittsburgh has to win 15-18 games at least, then rely on the teams ahead of them to have losing streaks.
Griffin and the Pirates have a tough task ahead of them, but they have no choice but to really go for it.
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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.