Pirates put Mlodzinski on the restricted list, saying he wasn't ready to pitch Sunday. Griffin to IL

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates put right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski on the restricted list Sunday and infielder Konnor Griffin on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow strain.

Mlodzinski was moved to the bullpen earlier this week after Jared Jones returned to the rotation from elbow surgery. Mlodzinski hasn't pitched since his start against the Chicago Cubs on Monday, and general manager Ben Cherington told reporters he wasn't ready to pitch Sunday against Minnesota.

“Going into the weekend, we understood and communicated with Carmen that at some point this weekend we were going to need him to be ready or we were going to have to replace him on the team, in fairness to the team,” Cherington said. “So that's what happened today.”

Cherington said he's confident Mlodzinski will pitch again for the team soon.

Mlodzinski is 4-3 with a 3.76 ERA in 55 innings this season. He's made nine starts and two relief appearances.

The Pirates signed Griffin to a nine-year, $140-million contract in April. The 20-year-old infielder is hitting .270 with four home runs, 22 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in his debut season.

Pittsburgh also reinstated first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn (right quad muscle strain) from the IL and recalled right-handed pitcher Cam Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis.

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