The Pittsburgh Pirates have sidelined rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin for a minimum of 10 days on Sunday, giving his injured right elbow adequate time to recover from a strain.
The 20-year-old had been filling the designated hitter role for the past two games as the team attempted to keep his offensive production in the lineup while reducing stress on his throwing arm, but management ultimately determined this approach was insufficient to avoid placing him on the injured list.
Griffin delivered solid offensive numbers during Pittsburgh’s weekend sweep of Minnesota, going 4-for-9 with one double and scoring a run in Friday and Saturday’s wins.
Following a challenging beginning to his rookie campaign, Griffin has improved his performance to a .270/.327/.402 slash line, contributing four home runs and 14 stolen bases across 51 games this season.
The Pirates filled Griffin’s roster spot by reinstating first baseman and outfielder Ryan O’Hearn from the injured list. O’Hearn had posted impressive numbers with a .289/.368/.459 slash line, seven home runs, and 29 RBI in 44 games before being sidelined with a strained right quadriceps.
Pittsburgh also adjusted its pitching staff, moving Carmen Mlodzinski to the restricted list after he was removed from the starting rotation this week to accommodate Jared Jones. Right-handed reliever Cam Sanders was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis to take his place.
The 27-year-old Mlodzinski compiled a 4-3 record with a 3.76 ERA across 11 appearances this season, including nine starts. He recorded 46 strikeouts against 20 walks in 55 innings of work.
Sanders appeared in five relief outings for Pittsburgh earlier this season, allowing six runs, six hits, and five walks across five innings for a 10.80 ERA. The 29-year-old has shown improvement at the Triple-A level, posting a 3.77 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings.
