The Pittsburgh Pirates got some genuinely bad news Tuesday when rookie Konnor Griffin landed on the IL with a torn finger tendon. He’s out until September, which stings because Griffin had been really good when he was actually on the field. But the injury report wasn’t all doom and gloom.
Oneil Cruz is swinging a bat again. That’s the big one. Spencer Horwitz has started a running program in Bradenton. Wilber Dotel is about to pitch for Altoona. Those are real, tangible steps forward for a team that’s been limping through July.
Pittsburgh beat writer Alex Stumpf posted the updates to X. The Pirates have been dealing with a pile of nagging injuries all season, and Cruz’s return would be a massive lift. He’s one of the most explosive base runners in the league and a legit power threat every time he steps in the box. Getting him back changes the look of this lineup.
Horwitz has had his moments at the plate too, and Dotel has flashed promise out of the bullpen when he’s been healthy. The one concerning note was Evan Sisk dealing with a posterior left elbow issue. He’s currently resting. No timeline on him yet.
Griffin’s injury is the headline, though. The Pirates’ director of sports medicine, Todd Tomczyk, said they went through a bunch of options with the doctors. The best route was non-operative care. That means six weeks in a splint, no movement, to let the tendon heal properly. After that, they’ll see how it responds.
This comes after Pittsburgh made a real push to add offense before the 2026 season. They brought Griffin up from the minors, and they added Marcell Ozuna, Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn. It’s worked, sort of. The Pirates are 46-45 but sitting fourth in the NL Central. That’s not awful, but it’s not where they want to be either.
The bigger problem might be the pitching. Paul Skenes has had some setbacks. The bullpen has blown more than its share of save chances. The whole thing has felt shaky, like this team is always one bad week away from falling apart.
They start a three-game series with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. No easy nights in that division.
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