The Pittsburgh Pirates will have to try to stay in postseason contention without rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin.
The club placed the 20-year-old rising star on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday due to an issue with the knuckle on the ring finger on his left hand. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Griffin is expected to miss 8-10 weeks.
Griffin, who made his major league debut in April before signing a lengthy extension, injured the finger in the early portion of a victory over Washington on Sunday. He remained in the lineup and finished with two hits before a postgame exam detailed the extent of the injury.
Tomczyk said the injury was to the sagittal band, which stabilizes the ring finger. Griffin will keep the hand in a splint for about six weeks before resuming baseball activities.
The injury is the second significant setback for Griffin during a promising rookie season. He missed most of June with a strained right forearm.
“He’s really been a big part of our success,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “I think for him to learn through this, too, every single player goes through injuries. He’s just had a couple tough ones at the beginning. I know he’ll be stronger after going through it.”
When healthy, Griffin has been a revelation for the Pirates, looking every bit the franchise cornerstone they hoped he’d be after selecting him in the first round of the 2024 draft. Griffin is hitting .276 with five homers, 25 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 59 games.
Jared Triolo will primarily fill in at shortstop for Pittsburgh, which entered Tuesday at 46-45 and in the middle of a large swath of National League teams in the postseason mix.
Griffin joins an increasingly crowded injured list that includes center fielder Oneil Cruz and first baseman Spencer Horwitz.
Pittsburgh called up infielder Jack Brannigan from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Griffin’s spot on the roster.
Reporting by the Associated Press.
