Overview
- Pirates senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Griffin was cleared on Aug. 17–18 to transition out of the six-week splint and will begin putting his hand in a glove and gripping the bat fully over the next 48 to 72 hours.
- Griffin is eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list on Sept. 4, and the club is optimistic he could rejoin the roster then if short-term rehab milestones hold.
- The 20-year-old tore the sagittal band in his left ring finger on July 5 and was placed on the injured list on July 7 before a 60-day IL transfer four days later; the splint had prevented him from catching with a glove.
- Before the injury, Griffin had shown a breakout rookie season in 59 games with a .276/.332/.404 line, five homers and 20 stolen bases, and his return would add a left-handed bat and speed to the lineup.
- His recovery remains a developing outcome that depends on continued progress during glove work, full batting grips and game-ready throwing, and the club has him traveling with the team to Bradenton as part of that process.