Vaughn Grissom was the Boston Red Sox's prize in their biggest trade of the offseason. The Sox dished injury-prone starter Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves for Grissom, a young infielder with years of team control and a high upside.
But Grissom was injured to begin spring training and he sustained another injury soon after his first return to play was scheduled — a shining example of Boston's recent run of bad luck. The 23-year-old missed all of spring training and he'll miss some time to begin the season. But now at least we have a bit of clarity on the injury front.
Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reported that Grissom will stay in Fort Myers to partake in an extended spring training program to prepare him for the season. The team will travel to Seattle to open the season without Grissom, and on April 7, he'll head to Fenway for the home opener on April 9. He'll then be assigned to a minor league team to complete his rehab.
Grissom's timeline for return to the Red Sox lineup is unclear and it will likely be based on his performance in the minors. The second baseman didn't play a single game this spring training and he logged just 23 games in the big leagues in 2023, which likely means he'll need quite some time to prepare as Boston's everyday second baseman.
Vaughn Grissom will be out of the Red Sox lineup for a few more weeks
A timeline for when Vaughn Grissom could make his debut with the Boston Red Sox is starting to take shape. https://t.co/5s945O435U
— NESN (@NESN) March 27, 2024
In the meantime, the Sox have a lot of options to fill Grissom's spot at second base. Boston has been starting Enmanuel Valdez frequently and he's been taking advantage of his opportunities as of late — the infielder started slow in Grapefruit League play, but he's tallied up 10 hits this spring, seven of them going for extra bases, including four home runs.
On the other hand, Pablo Reyes, one of the Sox's other utility options, has been struggling at the plate this spring. He batted just .159/.333/.250 and only posted eight hits in 44 at-bats. He has managed to collect 12 walks and just eight strikeouts, which shows some promise for his eye, but Reyes has done a lot of grounding out this spring.
Ceddanne Rafaela has set himself up for a breakout season and he's likely to do most of his playing in center field. The rookie is a natural shortstop and Cora has been giving him some playing time in the middle infield in case Valdez or Reyes can't get the job done. Rafaela's spring has been outstanding and his offensive and defensive skills make him a quality option to fill Grissom's vacancy at second when he's not needed in the outfield.
It'll be exciting to finally see Grissom get some game experience in the Sox's system after April 9, but he'll probably need a few solid weeks of preparation to be ready to play in the majors. Boston has been playing well in his absence and hopefully, its staff of backup infielders can continue the trend into the regular season. Expect Grissom back later in the month of April.