Pirates call up No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin for home opener

The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up Konnor Griffin, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, ahead of their home opener against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.

At 19 years and 344 days old, Griffin, who is expected to take over starting shortstop duties for Pittsburgh, would be the first teenage position player to debut since Juan Soto in 2018.

Griffin and the Pirates are engaged in discussions on a record-setting long-term contract extension, sources told ESPN’s Buster Olney. Griffin joining the Pirates before any extension is complete would allow the team to be eligible for a potential first-round draft pick through the Prospect Promotion Incentive.

The reigning consensus minor league player of the year, Griffin spent five games with Triple-A Indianapolis this season, hitting .438/.571/.625 with three doubles and three stolen bases in 21 plate appearances. In 16 spring training games this year, Griffin hit .171/.261/.488 with a team-leading four home runs and nine RBIs.

Opening Debut. pic.twitter.com/ILemWfjIHS

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 2, 2026

Griffin, chosen with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 draft out of Jackson Prep in Mississippi, rocketed through the minor leagues in his first season last year, hitting .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 stolen bases at Low-A, High-A and Double-A. With his power, speed and unexpectedly excellent defense at shortstop, he flew up prospect lists and finished ahead of Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle and St. Louis’ JJ Wetherholt, two middle infielders who started the season with their major league teams.

Optioning Griffin to the minor leagues to start the year gave the sides time to make progress on a potential extension — and set a target date of April 9 for his arrival. The Prospect Promotion Incentive necessitates a top-100 prospect spend a full season in the big leagues — 172 days on the 26-man roster — to be eligible. If he does so, the team receives a first-round pick should he win Rookie of the Year or finish in the top three in MVP or Cy Young voting in any of his first three seasons.

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By keeping ace Paul Skenes in the minor leagues to begin the 2024 season, the Pirates missed out on the draft pick when Skenes won Rookie of the Year — and, for doing so, he still received a full year of service time.

Pittsburgh’s pivot toward potential contention this season included their biggest dip into free agency in a generation, with the signings of first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, plus a trade for second baseman Brandon Lowe. With a rotation headlined by Skenes that includes potential star Bubba Chandler, steady veteran Mitch Keller and the underrated Braxton Ashcraft, Pittsburgh coveted a lineup to match its rotation.

Griffin only adds to that — and joins Soto, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout as the most notable players to make their big league debuts as teenagers this century.

Whether they can get a long-term deal done is the burning question going forward. Seattle signed shortstop Colt Emerson, another top-10 prospect, to an eight-year, $95 million contract despite him remaining at Triple-A. Milwaukee has been negotiating an eight-year, $50 million deal for shortstop Cooper Pratt, also at Triple-A.

McGonigle and Wetherholt also have engaged in negotiations on extensions, according to sources, though those are not currently as likely to cross the finish line as Griffin’s.