Konnor Griffin injury controversy shines light on Pirates’ maddening weakness

Let’s start with the good news: Konnor Griffin is getting closer. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ rookie shortstop is beginning a rehab assignment Tuesday night with Double-A Altoona, marking his first game action since May 30 and his first time playing shortstop in more than a month.

That alone should be a relief for the Pirates, who have badly missed his athleticism, energy and upside since placing him on the 10-day injured list May 31 with a right arm flexor strain. But Griffin’s absence has also created a strangely revealing controversy.

For weeks, Pirates fans wondered why Griffin couldn’t at least hit, run, DH or serve as a late-game weapon off the bench. After all, the team had already used him as a designated hitter in his final two games before the IL stint, and he was cleared to swing after being evaluated by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas.

Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk explained the decision as one made out of caution, both for Griffin’s short-term recovery and long-term health. The concern wasn’t simply whether he could swing. It was what could happen on a swing and miss or on the bases if Griffin, one of the fastest and most aggressive players in the organization, instinctively dove headfirst and put his injured arm in a dangerous position.

It may not be satisfying to fans watching a lifeless lineup waste winnable games, but it's still a reasonable explanation. Griffin is 20 years old and plays a premium defensive position. He's one of the most important players in the organization’s future, and the Pirates were never going to risk turning a manageable arm issue into something worse just to squeeze a few plate appearances out of him in June.

The real issue, then, isn’t that the Pirates refused to rush Griffin. It's that their offense made people desperate enough to demand it.

Pirates fans begging for Konnor Griffin return before he was truly ready reveals ugly truth about their lineup

A team serious about contending shouldn't be so dependent on a 20-year-old rookie that his inability to DH becomes a weekly talking point. Griffin has been impressive, and Oneil Cruz’s injury only made the lineup thinner. But the Pirates built this roster and therefore created a situation where losing two dynamic players exposed just how little margin for error their offense had to begin with.

So yes, Griffin’s return is encouraging. The Pirates should be excited to get him back, and fans should be thrilled that he is finally beginning the last stage of his recovery.

But the frustration over his absence was never really just about Griffin. It was about a lineup that could not withstand it and a Pirates team that keeps asking its youngest, most exciting players to cover for organizational weaknesses they shouldn't have to carry alone.

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