The Pittsburgh Pirates still have hopes of chasing down an NL Wild Card spot, even if it won’t be easy.
A return from injury by the shortstop phenom Konnor Griffin would certainly help that cause.
Griffin hasn’t been activated from the injured list yet as of Thursday morning, but it sounds like he’s close to a return.
Any amount of Griffin down the stretch would be better than none for Pittsburgh.
Konnor Griffin Injury Update
Griffin has been out for about two months with a torn tendon in his left ring finger.
He recently began a rehab assignment, but that was short-lived, as the Pirates have already brought him back to join them in Pittsburgh.
He was at the ballpark ahead of the Pirates’ Thursday afternoon game against the San Francisco Giants, and he spoke with reporters.
“Yeah, I mean, I feel good,” Griffin said, via Aiden Stepansky. “I think all the rehab stuff went well. So if they’re ready to activate me, I’ll be ready to go.”
Griffin also clearly has been itching to get back on the diamond.
“It’s been driving me nuts just watching games on my phone and stuff,” Griffin told reporters on Thursday. “So it will be fun to finally be back in there competing.”
Griffin last played on Sept. 5, an 11-5 win by the Pirates.
Pittsburgh was 31-28 so far this season in games that Griffin appeared in.
He started just a bit rocky but then got rolling. In 225 at bats, Griffin has a .276 batting average, a .736 OPS, 10 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 25 RBI and 35 runs scored.
Griffin was also 20-for-21 stealing bases in his early days in the major leagues.
The Pirates have been using Jacob Gonzalez at shortstop, but he was in the lineup at third base on Thursday, which could show they’re clearing the deck for Griffin.
The sequence of Pittsburgh’s actions suggest that Griffin is very close and they just want one final look at him up close before his activation.
Pirates Wild Card Chances
The Pirates enter action on Thursday with a 5.5-game margin between them and the third-and-final Wild Card spot in the National League.
The Arizona Diamondbacks enter the day holding that spot with a 74-67 record.
The San Diego Padres are a half-game back, at 73-67.
The Miami Marlins are 2.5 back, at 71-69.
The St. Louis Cardinals have a 70-70 record that puts them 3.5 games back.
And then there’s the Pirates at 68-72, 5.5 games out, and one game better than the 67-73 Cincinnati Reds.
Pittsburgh would have to get hot and also leapfrog those other teams. But if Griffin returns, it’ll be a good jolt of energy that will at least have the Pirates believing in themselves.
Pirates fans will also simply be excited to see Griffin on the field again. He’s an exhilarating talent, and baseball games are more fun when he’s in uniform and involved in the action.
Pirates’ Konnor Griffin Injury Update Seems Good, Leaves a Bit of Mystery