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Pirates Place Griffin on IL, Wild Card Slip.

7/8/2026

Summary

Pirates Lose Griffin

The Pirates placed shortstop Konnor Griffin on the injured list on July 7, 2026 after a torn tendon in his ring finger was diagnosed.
Griffin, hitting .276 with a .736 OPS, will miss 8–10 weeks, return in September, and have Jared Triolo assume shortstop for Braves series.
The loss, with Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz also out, leaves Pittsburgh at 46-45 and behind the Miami Marlins in the Wild Card race.

Summary

Griffin Signs

Konnor Griffin signed a franchise-record nine-year, $140 million extension on April 8, 2026, five days after his major-league debut.
The deal locks Griffin with the Pirates through at least 2034, signaling the club’s confidence in his long-term value.
Griffin entered 2026 as the consensus No. 1 prospect after being named the 2025 minor-league player of the year.
Selected No. 9 overall in the 2024 draft, he signed the largest rookie contract in Pirates history.

History

Historical Context

In December 2000, Alex Rodriguez secured a record-breaking 10-year, $252 million extension with the Texas Rangers, the richest deal in sports history after MLB’s free-agency era of the 1970s. By April 2026, the Pittsburgh Pirates mirrored that willingness, signing rookie Konnor Griffin to a nine-year, $140 million contract, underscoring a league-wide shift toward massive, long-term investments in emerging talent despite injury risks.

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Pirates Lose Griffin

The Pirates placed shortstop Konnor Griffin on the injured list on July 7, 2026 after a torn tendon in his ring finger was diagnosed.
Griffin, hitting .276 with a .736 OPS, will miss 8–10 weeks, return in September, and have Jared Triolo assume shortstop for Braves series.
The loss, with Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz also out, leaves Pittsburgh at 46-45 and behind the Miami Marlins in the Wild Card race.

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