PIRATES

Konnor Griffin (right forearm strain) has been activated from the injured list prior to the start of this weekend's series against the Reds here at PNC Park. Jack Brannigan has been optioned back to Class AA Altoona as the corresponding move.

"I feel rested, I feel recovered," Griffin said this afternoon. "I'm looking to attack the second half as strong as I can. There were ups and downs in the first half for me and I feel like I've got a lot to prove. Just gonna take it day by day and go compete."

Griffin, who will play shortstop and hit out of the leadoff spot tonight, missed nearly a month of action as he last appeared in a major-league game against the Twins on May 30. He recently spent time at the team's facility in Bradenton, Fla. to continue his rehab before transitioning to Class AA Altoona where he played in one rehab game on Wednesday, going 2 for 2 with a triple, a home run, three RBIs, a walk, a hit-by-pitch and three runs scored against Reading.

Griffin said he focused on taking some much-needed time off during his time down south, while also hitting the recovery and training room every day. There was an emphasis placed on taking care of his shoulder to take stress off the elbow and, of course, the throwing program ramped up every day, he said. Griffin started throwing from 90 feet and progressed out to 120 and 150 feet while keeping up with the velocities of his throws. 

Prior to the injury, Griffin's highest in-game velocity was at 94 mph on relay throws and around 84, 85 on throws to first base. The focus was on him being around 84, 85 without feeling pain. He was able to throw ground balls to first without experiencing pain five days ago and finally got into some highly-anticipated game action with the Curve. Now, Griffin's ready to move on from this entire recovery process. 

“Just tried to treat it as a little re-setter," said Griffin, who hit off the Trajekt machine and faced live pitching in Florida to stay fresh with the bat in his hands. "Tried to stay positive, I didn’t want to get too far away from the game. It’s an injury that I knew I was going to get back at some point quick and I just went to Florida, got to focus on a few things I wanted to work on and not have to worry about playing games.”

Griffin will surely provide a boost to the Pirates offense after hitting .270 with a .729 OPS, four home runs, 15 total extra-base hits and 22 RBIs over 51 games. He also has the ability to make an impact on the basepaths, something the Pirates have lacked without both Griffin and Oneil Cruz in the lineup. The former still ranks among the top 20 players in Major League Baseball with 14 stolen bases. 

"Obviously, it's a huge shot in the arm any time you can get one of your guys back, especially someone that has the tools and the talent that Konnor has," Brandon Lowe told me. "It's always going to be a welcomed addition back into the lineup, and even with what he can do on the basepaths and in the field. We're ready to have him back. It's just another point on the checklist of getting our guys back so we can be at full strength. That's an exciting part for everybody. We're one step closer to being fully healthy again."