Pirates News: Joey Bart activated, Derek Shelton’s new gig, Konnor Griffin’s first High-A homers

Pittsburgh Pirates v New York Mets
Pittsburgh Pirates v New York Mets | Jim McIsaac/GettyImages

While not yet officially announced by the team, Greg Macafee of DK Pittsburgh Sports reported Sunday night that the Pittsburgh Pirates are expected to activate catcher Joey Bart off the injured list ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the Detroit Tigers. Brett Sullivan will be designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Bart suffered a concussion behind the plate on May 27 in Arizona and was placed on the IL soon after. Since clearing concussion protocol, he has played in five games in a rehab stint with Indianapolis. In that span, he has had three hits and two RBI in 13 at-bats.

In 44 games with the Pirates this year, Bart is slashing .240/.347/.308 with one home run, five doubles and 11 RBI.

Pirates News: Former manager Derek Shelton to join media coverage of MLB Draft Combine

USA Baseball announced in a press release that former Pirates manager Derek Shelton will work for MLB Network this week, providing on-site coverage from the MLB Draft Combine from June 17-21 at Chase Field in Arizona.

This will mark Shelton's first notable work since he was fired by the Pirates last month after five-plus years at the helm. The Pirates finished with a 306-440 record under Shelton, with their last playoff appearance (2015) and their last winning season (2018) both coming before Shelton took over as manager.

Pirates News: Top prospect Konnor Griffin mashes first home runs for High-A Greensboro

It's been less than a week since Pirates prospect Konnor Griffin's promotion to High-A, and the 19-year-old is already proving that he belongs.

Griffin, the Pirates' first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and their No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, hit his first home run with High-A Greensboro on Saturday and followed it up with another round-tripper the following day. He now has six extra-base hits in six games since his promotion from Single-A Bradenton last week.

Griffin has hit the ground running since his promotion, slashing .435/.500/.739 for an OPS of 1.239 with 10 hits in 23 at-bats. He has four doubles, five RBI, two walks to two strikeouts and five stolen bases on six attempts.

The Pirates promoted Griffin to Greensboro on June 10 after he slashed .338/.396/.536 for an OPS of .932 in 50 games with Bradenton. During those 50 games, he racked up 49 runs and 70 hits in 207 at-bats. He racked up 10 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 26 stolen bases on 30 attempts, 36 RBI and 15 walks to 53 strikeouts at the Single-A level.

The Pirates took Griffin with the No. 9 overall pick in 2024, and he has already begun to rapidly ascend the organization's farm system, not to mention the league's prospect rankings. Easily the best offensive prospect the Pirates have had in years, he is already well on his way to cracking the big league roster in the next couple of seasons.

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