Pirates Notes: Konnor Griffin Injured, Minor League Moves, All-Star Selections

Konnor Griffin was placed on the injured list, the Pirates brought back a familiar face, and Braxton Ashcraft is an All-Star.

The Pittsburgh Pirates placed Konnor Griffin on the injured list today with a torn tendon in his left hand ring finger.

Reports are that Griffin could return in September. The Pirates called up Jack Brannigan to take his place. It’s likely that Jared Triolo will get the bulk of the playing time.

The injury to Griffin comes at a time when the Pirates are 46-45, sitting 11 games back in the NL Central, and three games back in the NL Wild Card race, with five teams ahead of them.

Let’s not mistake this team as one that was in heavy contention for the playoffs at the time of the injury. The Pirates needed help to improve their chances of the playoffs, and this loss pushes them in the other direction.

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Brannigan was first called up to the Pirates for one day at the end of June, offering depth right before Griffin was set to return from a different injury.

He didn’t get in a game, but shortly after his return to the minors, he was promoted to Triple-A. In his brief time in Triple-A, Brannigan batted .263 with two home runs.

Known for his defense on the left side of the infield, Brannigan also offers some power potential.

Triolo might be the better defensive option to replace Griffin, but it’s possible Brannigan could offer more power.

Lately, Triolo has improved his offense. He’s hitting .310/.375/.552 in his last ten games, with his first home run of the season.

Neither player will replace the impact potential of Griffin, especially on the bases. Griffin ranks first in the Majors in base running runs, with 20 stolen bases, including a recent steal of home on the back-end of a double steal.

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The loss at shortstop adds to the needs of the Pirates as they hope to climb into the thick of the Wild Card race during the second half.

While the team’s offense has improved from one of the worst in the Majors to third overall in a year, the defense has struggled, and the bullpen has been horrible.

Recently, two moves were made that could help the bullpen depth.

Hunter Stratton was brought back in a trade for Joey Bart last month. After four games with Indianapolis, throwing 5.1 shutout innings, he was recalled to replace the injured Evan Sisk.

The loss of Sisk hurts, as he was one of the better relievers for the Pirates this season. Stratton has yet to make his debut with the Pirates this year, but he’s been a good reliever in the past, including for the Pirates in 2023 and 2024.

Noah Murdock had his contract selected recently, with the Pirates keeping him in their organization as part of the move. The 6’ 8” right-hander has a 95.1 MPH fastball and has been generating a 35.7% whiff rate with his curveball.

Murdock was signed as a minor league free agent, and was added to the 40-man around the time minor league free agents have opt-out clauses in their contracts. Around the same time, the Pirates released Dominic Fletcher and Yunior Marte to pursue other opportunities. They also released Davis Wendzel to make room for Murdock.

Stratton and Murdock add to the organizational depth, but neither solve the biggest problem, which is the lack of a shutdown closer.

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The Pirates added to their depth on Tuesday, making two minor league signings. One brought back a familiar name.

Joshua Palacios returns to the organization, being assigned to Indianapolis. Palacios played for the Pirates in 2023-24, and spent time with the White Sox last season. He hasn’t played anywhere this season. He ended last season on the injured list in Triple-A, became a free agent at the end of the year, and went unsigned until now.

The Pirates also added Cameron Barstad to their catching depth, assigning him to Indianapolis. Barstad was a non-roster invitee for the Cleveland Guardians this spring, and spent the year in Double-A. He hit for a .217/.343/.330 line at the plate, while throwing out seven of 50 batters behind the plate.

Palacios helps to fill the depth shortage created by injuries at the MLB level, while Barstad helps to replace the depth lost with the trade of Bart.

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Braxton Ashcraft was named to the NL All-Star Team on Tuesday, replacing Paul Skenes as the Pirates’ lone representative.

Skenes was originally selected, then skipped the event in favor of pitching against the Milwaukee Brewers on the Sunday before the break. This left an opening, and Ashcraft was an easy replacement.

You could argue that Ashcraft should have been the pick all along. He has a 3.24 ERA in 108.1 innings to the 3.62 ERA in 97 innings from Skenes. The two are neck-and-neck in strikeouts, with Ashcraft holding a 122-119 lead ahead of Tuesday night’s start from Skenes.

Among MLB qualified pitching leaders, Ashcraft ranks 9th with a 2.9 fWAR, while Skenes ranks 12th.

This adds some perspective to the season from Skenes. The last ten starts from Skenes have produced a 4.58 ERA, which is why his season ERA has dropped so hard. He was sitting at 1.98 after his May 12th start, and dropped to the current 3.62 after his last two outings.

Still, the similar season results from Ashcraft are seen as a positive surprise, while Skenes is seen as a disappointment for the same production. That’s somewhat valid, as Skenes set the bar extremely high. He’s the 12th best pitcher in baseball, but fans are disappointed that he’s not among the best overall. Meanwhile, fans didn’t have expectations for Ashcraft this season, so the fact he’s 9th overall is a great surprise relative to expectations.

Ignoring expectations and results, Ashcraft deserves the All-Star nod.

As for any snubs, I can see the argument for any omissions from the Pirates.

Brandon Lowe is having a great season, but is currently the fifth-best second baseman in WAR in a very talented NL group.

There are seven outfielders who rank higher than Bryan Reynolds this year. Five of those players were selected to the NL squad.

The best snub argument goes to Nick Gonzales. He ranks second among NL third basemen in WAR, behind the elected starter at third base, Max Muncy. Sal Stewart was selected as the backup, despite being worth a full-win less than Gonzales. Stewart, who is one of two Reds representatives, has a .259/.343/.440 line. Gonzales is batting .332/.395/.418. Stewart wins in defense and power, but Gonzales easily wins for overall combined production.

Other than those position players, Ashcraft was previously the biggest snub, which has been corrected.

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The MLB draft is this Saturday. The Pirates select 5th overall and have the largest bonus pool in the draft.

I’m not going to have any opinions on this draft ahead of time. My scouting process involves not only watching the players in action, but listening to interviews of the players. After years of interviewing minor leaguers, including some of the best MLB players today before they reached the Majors, I have a gift where I can tell who is a future MLB player just by hearing them speak.

Honestly, I don’t have any incentive or desire to dedicate the energy needed toward breaking down this year’s draft.

The Pirates Prospects draft tracker will have every pick, and I’ll give my thoughts after the draft.

Until the next time I go live…

-Tim Williams