Konnor Griffin Mlb draws attention with two homers on video as Opening Day decision nears
konnor griffin mlb is the focal point of spring training chatter after a video titled "WATCH: Konnor Griffin hits first two home runs of spring training" surfaced, even as roster notes and recent game logs keep his Opening Day status against the Mets in New York in just over a month unresolved.
Konnor Griffin Mlb and the shortstop race
Griffin, the ninth pick of the 2024 draft, arrives at camp as the consensus No. 1 prospect after a breakout first professional season when he hit. 333 with a. 941 OPS, 21 home runs, 94 RBI and 65 stolen bases in 122 games across three minor-league levels last year. That body of work is the concrete basis for the debate over whether the 19-year-old should break camp with the big-league club or begin the year in Triple-A Indianapolis.
Spring numbers and recent game action
Video footage titled "WATCH: Konnor Griffin hits first two home runs of spring training" shows Griffin homering twice in spring action. A separate game account notes that he struck out twice in the Grapefruit League opener on Saturday and then started at shortstop against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday, when he was robbed of an infield single and recorded a pair of exit velocities north of 100 mph. Those two contrasting items — the home-run video and the two-game line with no hits — sit side by side as Griffin continues Grapefruit League play.
Bench, bullpen and roster permutations
As things currently stand, it looks like Griffin or Nick Gonzales will start at short on Opening Day against the Mets in New York in just over a month, with Jared Triolo penciled in at third base beside whomever takes short. If the club opts for Gonzales, Griffin would likely begin the year in Triple-A Indianapolis but might not have to wait long to make his big-league debut; if he does make the Opening Day roster, he would be the first teenager to suit up for the club since Aramis Ramirez nearly 30 years ago.
Other roster battles could shift the picture for the 13th position player and the bullpen. Of eight bullpen spots, five appear locked into roles — names listed as primary pieces include Santana and Gregory Soto, with Isaac Mattson coming off a breakout season in 2025, Justin Lawrence returning from injury, and Carmen Mlodzinski available as a reliever. The remaining relief spots are being contested by Mason Montgomery, Kyle Nicolas, Yohan Ramírez, Brandan Bidios, Cam Sanders and lefty Evan Sisk. On the position-player side, the final bench spot is being weighed among Nick Yorke, Jake Mangum and potential options such as Jhostynxon García, Enmanuel Valdez, Billy Cook and Endy Rodríguez, depending on whether Griffin cracks the Opening Day roster.
The club’s rotation picture also factors into roster math: Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler are viewed as the top four starters, with the fifth spot still to be decided during spring work.
Spring training play and roster announcements will continue through the remaining Grapefruit League schedule, but the next confirmed milestone is Opening Day against the Mets in New York in just over a month, when final decisions on whether Griffin starts in the majors or opens in Triple-A are expected to be known.
