Pirates Make Eye-Catching Konnor Griffin Decision Before Reds Game
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates head into a crucial game against a divisional rival and know how Konnor Griffin will help them in that regard.
Griffin comes back into the lineup, where he hits leadoff and plays shortstop, as the Pirates look to avoid the sweep against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park on June 28.
The Pirates had Griffin sit in the second game of the series against the Reds on June 27, which they ended up losing 9-7, after a blown save by closer Gregory Soto, who gave up a three-run home run to designated hitter Eugenio Suárez on the final strike.
Griffin did start in the series opener on June 26, where he played all nine innings at shortstop and even hit a leadoff home run to mark his return from injury.
Pirates Protecting Rookie From Further Injury
Griffin's return is one the Pirates need, especially with other injuries to center fielder Oneil Cruz (fractured left hand) and first baseman Spencer Horwitz (left hamstring).
He brings the team contact and power, which he showed with his leadoff home run, a great arm and glove at shortstop, plus speed on the basepaths.
The Pirates are clearly taking precaution to keep Griffin from injury, which manager Don Kelly elaborated on prior to both of the games vs. the Reds.
Griffin had missed 22 games with a right forearm flexor strain, which caused him pain throwing from shortstop, a key component of the position.
The Pirates and Griffin worked to make sure that he could come back, with a lengthy rehab that forced him down to Florida for a week, but they'll take some time before having him at shortstop everyday like he was after making his MLB debut.
Kelly was impressed with Griffin prior to this injury, as he had an incredible month of May, batting .306/.361/.459 for an OPS of .820 and that the star rookie is playing at a higher level than they anticipated.
“I think he’s been better, honestly, than expected," Kelly said before Griffin's first game back on June 26. "To get off to the start that he had, you know the hype is up there. For him to settle into the groove that he’d gotten into right before he got hurt, I think he’s done a really, really good job. He’s done a really nice job defensively, too.”
“You know that he’s going to show up every day to do everything he can to get back as fast as he can. I think he dominated that, whether it was here or when he went down to Florida, doing it safely and effectively to get back as quickly as he could.”
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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.