The Pittsburgh Pirates have made the very controversial decision to send down the number one prospect in all of baseball, shortstop Konnor Griffin. The Pirates are now rolling into 2026 with Nick Gonzales as their starting shortstop, at least until Griffin gets to the Major Leagues. However, the question in everyone’s mind now is how long will we have to wait to see Griffin in the Major Leagues?
Griffin Has Immense Talent, but Has Had Some Struggles in Spring Training
There’s no doubt Konnor Griffin could be a superstar. He earned number one prospect status after he hit .333/.415/.527 with a .437 wOBA and 165 wRC+. Griffin walked at an 8.9% rate with only a 21.7% strikeout percentage. The shortstop went yard 21 times and swiped an impressive 65 bags. Griffin began his season at A-Ball Bradenton, and climbed the minor league ladder, ending his campaign at Double-A Altoona. His wRC+ got better at every level, starting at 156 at Bradenton, rising to 170 at Greensboro, then coming in at 175 at Altoona. Griffin receives plus or better grades across the board. His worst of his five tools was his hit and fielding, but even then, a 60-grade for either is very good.
Mar 1, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin (75) hits a two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Griffin definitely showed off potential in Spring Training. Some will focus on his .171 batting average, but he had ten batted balls at 100+ MPH. Additionally, Griffin had four home runs in just 16 games and 46 trips to the plate. But he didn’t light up Spring Training pitching as many expected. Even though he was crushing the ball, he still ended the pre-season with an 87 wRC+. As Alex Stumpf stated on X/Twitter, the Pirates want him to fare better against fastballs. Griffin had no problems making good contact vs 95+ MPH fastballs with a 90.9 MPH exit velocity, but also had a 35.3% whiff rate against them in Spring Training. Likewise, higher-spin fastballs gave Griffin some trouble. Four-seamers with 2300+ RPM resulted in a 36.4% whiff rate, but a 93.9 MPH EV for Griffin.
So, When Can We See Konnor Griffin Make His MLB Debut?
Aside from injuries that could prompt his promotion, the earliest we might see him is after the first two weeks of the MLB season. This is when the cutoff for prospect promotion incentive ends. Prospects who are on at least two of MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and ESPN’s top 100 lists are eligible for PPI. To earn their team an extra first-round pick, they must also win Rookie of the Year and/or finish top three in MVP or Cy Young voting before reaching arbitration.
Unfortunately, the Pirates would be potentially missing out on a first-rounder by calling up Griffin after this date. It also seems unlikely the Pirates would call him up immediately after this date. Two weeks aren’t going to suddenly sway opinions drastically about his ability to handle high-velocity or high-spin fastballs. The next time we may see Griffin is early May. The Pirates would likely gain an extra year of control over Griffin by calling him up then. For reference, Paul Skenes made his MLB debut on May 11, 2024.
The latest date would be sometime in late May or early June. The Bucs would likely call Griffin up this late only if Gonzales is doing well. Griffin getting promoted in late-May or early-June would not be out of the ordinary for a top Pirates prospect. Andrew McCutchen made his MLB debut on June 4, 2009. Gerrit Cole made his debut on June 11, 2013. Neil Walker started his 2010 rookie season on May 25, 2010. While none of them were on the same heights as Griffin, it is still worth noting.
There likely aren’t many Pirates fans who wanted to see Griffin get sent to Triple-A, even if it is an understandable decision. He’s one of, if not the most hyped, prospects the Pirates have ever had. They’ve never had the consensus number one prospect in all of baseball. Plus, Griffin didn’t look terrible in Spring Training, even if he did show some flaws. On top of that, the Pirates are moving a second baseman to shortstop to accommodate sending him down. However, it probably won’t be very long until we see Griffin crushing baseballs in the Major Leagues.
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Main Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images