Pirates' Konnor Griffin Reveals How Injury Happened

"Just a normal dive I’ve done a thousand times," Griffin said. "I kind of got up and felt like my finger was jammed. That was how it felt."

"I went in the dugout and was moving around a little bit and saw that there was something else going on but I wanted to try to stick it out. I think that was the third inning at the time. I wanted to try to finish that game and then reassess after that.”

The Pirates benefitted from Griffin staying in the game, as he hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the eighth inning in the 11-5 win over the Nationals, while also making two incredible diving plays at shortstop.

Griffin said postgame that he was fine, but he noted that the tendon on his ring finger was loose and subsequent imaging showed the severity of the injury.

It was a great game for Griffin and it looked like he was finally building up towards becoming the everyday shortstop again, but he'll have to wait before that happens again.

“I just wanted to be out there," Griffin said. "It was almost like I was trying to trick myself that there wasn’t something going on just because it felt comfortable, things were rolling, felt good at the plate, felt good defensively. It just stinks that this happened.”

What's Next for Griffin?

The return timeline for Griffin has him keeping his three outer fingers in a splint for about six weeks, before the Pirates will reassess him.

Griffin's initial prognosis is about eight-to-10 weeks, which has him coming back Sept. 1-15, close to the end of the Pirates regular season.

Griffin could still play, but the risk for further injury is something that he and the Pirates didn't want to risk.

His sagittal band injury causes his extensor tendons, which straighten the fingers, to sublux, which is a lesser dislocation to the hand. His extensor tendon isn't currently injured, but continued playing could cause more serious damage.

The Pirates and Griffin went with the non-surgical option with the splint, as Griffin would've missed up to four months, per general manager Ben Cherington, then had to rehab back from that and dealt with slower progress in the offseason.

“It’s a weird injury. Not many people have had it in our sport," Griffin said. "I could play and it could’ve been just fine or it could’ve got 10 times worse. We don’t really know. Talking with the doctors, they didn’t want me to lean towards that side of things. They said these finger injuries, specifically if I had to have surgery, the finger could not be as normal as it was before. There’s just a lot of risk that goes into that side of it.”

Griffin Accepting Injury Rehab

The Pirates had just got Griffin back after 22 missed games, where he worked back from a right forearm flexor strain, which caused him pain throwing from shortstop.

He had a good showing on his return on June 26, slashing .306/.359/.417 for an OPS of .776 in eight games, with a leadoff home run in his first game back and five stolen bases, including stealing home in the 7-1 win over the Nationals on July 4.

It's hard for Griffin not to be out there with the Pirates, making his MLB debut this season and signing a nine-year, $140 million contract extension soon after, committing his future to the franchise.

The Pirates are also 47-46 through 93 games and four games back in the National League Wild Card race, as they aim for their first postseason since 2015, something Griffin desperately wants to be a part of.

“Yeah, it definitely took me a while to try to make a decision because it was weighing on my heart," Griffin said on playing through the pain. "I want to be in there. I want to be around these guys. This is a great team. We’re doing some cool things. It was tough, especially just missing a whole month before that. It was the right decision to try to stay away from the surgery side of it.”

Griffin is staying optimistic, even with his second injury of the season. He'll stay in the best shape he can, while avoiding swinging a bat and caching with a glove before he's cleared, while still throwing, running and working out when he can.

He's also gone through this before and knows the patience needed and also the options he has available for him with the Pirates, such as going back down to Bradenton, Fla. and fully rehabbing there.

Griffin is still just 20 years old, but his maturity has helped him through these tough times before and he knows he needs it know more than ever.

“It’s a weird one. It’s an injury that I really couldn’t control," Griffin said. "I’m the type of player that’s going to put my body on the line and try to give it everything I have. I don’t know if I’ve learned a ton yet. I’m just going through the motions of it. I just want to be out there and be healthy and make the best of my career. It’s been a tough year, the last month or so. I’m trying to stay as positive as I can.”