PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates are without two of their best players, but they should be getting one of them back soon.The Pirates are hoping that shortstop Konnor Griffin and center fielder Oneil Cruz come back to help the team in the near future and there was both good news and both news on each player from general manager Ben Cherington on The Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan.Cherington said that they hope Griffin will start a rehab assignment by the end of this week, "barring anything unforeseen." Griffin is currently down in Bradenton, Fla., where the Pirates spring training facility is, and has worked on his throwing program, which he's been progressing with after dealing with a forearm flexor strain, that landed him on the 10-day injured list on May 31. Cherington said Griffin will go back to Pittsburgh for one day of medical evaluation and that they want him to do a rehab assignment before he plays shortstop at the major league level again.Cruz is the where the bad news comes on, as Cherington noted Cruz hasn't started any baseball activities yet.The Pirates center fielder fractured his left hand when he slid into home plate in the 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on June 6, which put him on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 8.Cherington said that Cruz's bones need to heal before he resumes baseball activities and that he has an appointment on June 22, which they hope will give them more insight into when they can expect him to return. Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow