He's back.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have officially activated rookie sensation Konnor Griffin from a long stay on the injured list.
Just ahead of the team's big series with the Los Angeles Angels, Griffin will make his return. The shortstop has been out since early July due to an injury to his left ring finger.
Griffin wore a splint for six weeks to deal with the issue, and he was able to get into some rehab games. He is now back healthy and ready to get back on the field for the Pirates amid their playoff chance.
The rookie has been electric this season, hitting .276 with five home runs, 25 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases in just 59 games. Griffin has seen a few trips to the injured list, but he is hoping that this time was the last for the year.
The big test for him was being able to get back to being productive for the Pirates, and he has passed all the tests.
"I did some grip strength testing," Griffin said . "Those numbers were actually a lot higher than they should have been, which was a good sign for me. That gave me a lot of confidence, squeezing a bat, squeezing a glove wasn't going to be an issue."
Getting Griffin back for the series with the Angels is huge, especially with Pittsburgh fighting for its playoff lives. The Pirates enter the series with the Angels sitting five games back of the final wild-card spot in the National League race.
While the chances of the Pirates making a run at slim, they aren't impossible. We have teams go on runs over the last few weeks of the season in the past, getting hot just in time for the postseason.
Griffin is hoping that he can help the Pirates make this happen, ending a long playoff drought. Pittsburgh comes into the series against Los Angeles with a record of 69-72, with 21 games left on the team's schedule.
"It's been driving me nuts watching the games on my phone," said Griffin. "It'll be fun to finally be back in there competing."
It remains to be seen if Griffin will be able to help the Pirates make a run to the playoffs, but his return does offer them a better chance. Pittsburgh will need to take care of business against the Angels int this series, helping them to stack wins at this crucial time in the year.
