Pirates Not Wasting Time With Konnor Griffin Return
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates finally have Konnor Griffin back, and they're making sure they take advantage of his talents.
The Pirates have Griffin starting at shortstop and batting sixth against the Los Angeles Angels in the series opener at PNC Park on Sept. 4.
Griffin came off the 60-day injured list the same day, and the Pirates are placing him right into the lineup.
This marks Griffin's first start for the Pirates in almost two months, coming on July 5 vs. the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, where he had a two-run single and helped lead his team to an 11-5 win.
Griffin Finally Returns From Injury
Griffin has missed the past two months after a left ring sagittal band tear, requiring a lengthy injury rehab and kept him from baseball activities until late August.
He played three games on his rehab assignment, one coming for Double-A Altoona on Aug. 30 and then two games with Triple-A Indianapolis, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2.
It was his second injury this season, a right forearm flexor strain that kept him out for the first three weeks of June and 22 games.
Griffin was stellar for the Pirates after turning 20 on April 24, batting .314/.368/.472 for an OPS of .840 in his last 40 games, with 50 hits, eight doubles, a triple, five home runs, 17 RBI and 16 stolen bases on 17 attempts.
He's missed a combined 72 games this season, compared to the 59 he's played, but he's back for the Pirates.
The Pirates sit 69-72 and five games back in the National League Wild Card race with just 21 games remaining.
Griffin's return gives them hope they can make a late run at the postseason, with one of their best hitters back, a great defensive shortstop and another top basestealer alongside center fielder Oneil Cruz.
How Rest of Pirates Lineup Looks vs. Angels
Player | Position | Batting Side |
|---|---|---|
Spencer Horwitz | First Base | Left |
Brandon Lowe | Second Base | Left |
Bryan Reynolds | Right Field | Switch |
Nick Gonzales | Designated Hitter | Right |
Oneil Cruz | Center Field | Left |
Konnor Griffin | Shortstop | Right |
Jake Mangum | Left Field | Switch |
Jacob Gonzalez | Third Base | Left |
Henry Davis | Catcher | Right |
The Pirates have most of the same lineup as they did in the 5-2 win over the San Francisco Giants in the series finale at PNC Park on Sept. 3.
Nick Gonzales and Brandon Lowe will switch positions, with Lowe at second base and Gonzales serving as designated hitter for the Pirates, remaining second and fourth in the lineup, respectively.
Griffin takes over from Jared Triolo at shortstop, and Henry Davis plays catcher, after Rafael Flores Jr. did so the past two days, batting ninth.
Bryan Reynolds and Jake Mangum start in right field and left field, respectively, for the second straight game, with Cruz manning center field. Mangum does move down one spot to seventh in the batting order.
First baseman Spencer Horwitz stays in leadoff and Jacob Gonzalez plays his second-ever MLB game at third base, staying at eighth in the batting order.
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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.