PITTSBURGH – Attempting to keep Konnor Griffin away from a baseball field is like “trying to treat a caged lion,” as Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk put it. The 20-year-old phenom has been sidelined since July 7 with a torn left ring finger sagittal band.
Though the light at the end of the tunnel is near.
Friday marks exactly a month since Griffin was placed on the injured list. The shortstop continues to recover with a splint on his left hand, and will have a check-up around Aug. 17 -- six weeks since the injury -- before an expected move to Pirate City days later to begin rehab.
Griffin is eligible to come off the 60-day IL on Sept. 4.
“It's tough just because we're in the thick of it. We're fighting hard, and I can't really help,” Griffin told MLB.com. “Just have to sit back and watch. But I believe everything happens for a reason, so I'm just trying to stay as ready as I can. So whenever I'm cleared to go, I can get back as fast as I can.”
The lion has been able to break out sparingly. He’s often deep in the outfield during batting practice, working on agility and sprint drills to keep his mobility. Griffin has participated in one-handed swings -- using his top hand -- to feel at least something. He’s also stood in against the Trajekt machine (without swinging) to keep his timing. In the field, Griffin can’t use a glove but continues to throw.
Griffin had rarely faced injury in his career before the 2026 season. He’d never had a hand injury before, and described the one that took place against the Nationals on July 5 as a “freak deal.” Griffin dove for a ball up the middle in the third inning like normal. His ring finger felt jammed, but he played through the soreness the rest of the day. Even during the game, however, Griffin noticed the tendon was loose and going across his knuckle.
Kevin Griffin, his father, said the injury didn’t start to hurt his son until later that night. Kevin texted Griffin about the injury postgame, and he said he was headed for an MRI the next day. The MRI revealed a tear, and Griffin would be sidelined for two months despite having the option to possibly play through it with a greater risk of surgery being needed in the future.
“The aggravating thing was that he did it on a hustle play,” Kevin said. “He's never really experienced a whole lot of injuries before in his life, and to do it because you're going hard and hustling -- that's probably more frustrating to him than anything. Because that's just how he's going to always play the game, is full speed, and he's never going to take a play off.”
Griffin tried a few different splints to find which was most comfortable and efficient before settling on a black three-fingered choice that holds the ring finger elevated. While Griffin said the injured finger doesn’t bring much pain, it’s the mental hurdles that make things difficult.
Griffin missed most of June with a right elbow strain. After working his way back, he played just eight games before being sidelined once again. In his time back, the 20-year-old found his stride at the plate and seemed to be breaking out with 11 hits in 36 at-bats (.305). Griffin is attempting to stay positive, taking the recovery day-by-day and not worrying about the future.
“It's getting better,” Griffin said. “This is kind of like a broken bone. You've got to let it heal, so I'm not moving it much outside of the splint.”
Griffin’s playing style often gets him into risky situations. Though despite some early injuries, don’t expect anything to change.
“The easy answer would be to tone it back, but that's just not in his DNA,” Kevin said.
As Kevin coaches the DIII powerhouse Belhaven softball, he’s still his son’s “hitting guy.” The duo talks nearly every night about Griffin’s at-bats, sometimes looking over video too. The conversations have been on pause since the recent injury, bumming out Kevin for the time being and saving Griffin from any more frustration while being forced to sit out.
Once Griffin begins swinging, Kevin expects those conversations to get “hot and heavy” daily once again. A postseason race would add even more fuel to the fire.
“Hopefully everything's looking good for our season, and we're sitting in a good spot, getting ready to make a playoff game,” Griffin said. “That's the goal: to be back, and be ready for that.”