Boston Red Sox fans haven't seen as much of Vaughn Grissom as they hoped this season. The young infielder's season has been plagued by injuries, and Boston hasn't taken kindly to his extended time on the shelf.
Grissom was sidelined from spring training until early May with a hamstring strain. He played 23 games before he strained the other hamstring on June 1 while running the bases, and hasn't played since.
Chris Sale — whom Boston traded to Atlanta and paid $17 million of his salary to acquire Grissom — is in the throes of his best and most durable campaign in years. It makes the 23-year-old's absence sting even more.
But Grissom has some choice words for Sox fans who think he's a bust.
“I just want to play my game. If they like it, they like it. If they don’t, f--k it,” he said, to Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “I’m here for a reason. I’m sure there’s a next guy up if they don’t like it."
Vaughn Grissom responds to Red Sox fans unimpressed by his first season in Boston
Boston fans have been quick to judge the second baseman. Many have based their gripes with Grissom on his 23 games of action, during which he batted .148/.207/.160.
But he missed almost all of spring training, and his warmup for the 2024 slate was a nine-game rehab assignment in Triple-A. Grissom has proven he can hit at every level, and. he slashed .291/.353/.440 in 41 games in the majors when he was just 21 years old. His new manager, Alex Cora, knows there's progress to be made, but the 23-year-old has what it takes to succeed.
It is super funny and on brand how quickly Red Sox fans have given up on Vaughn Grissom when Jarren Duran and Tanner Houck are making their first All-Star team after taking a few years to figure it out.
— Ed Hand (@EdHand89) July 8, 2024
"We actually had a meeting with him,” Cora said. “Kind of like the plan — what it’s going to be, what it’s going to look like in the upcoming weeks whenever he goes on a rehab assignment. We need this kid to get stronger. That’s the most important thing. I don’t think what we saw is the real I think there’s more there.”
Grissom has been participating in fielding drills, taking batting practice and feeling nearly 100% healthy. The Red Sox are certain he'll play again this season but haven't shared a timeline for his rehab assignment.
Boston has Grissom under contract for years, and it's too early to determine the true "winner" of the deal with Atlanta. It's also too soon to label Grissom a bust — he has a lot of learning and growing to do before he can truly be judged for his play.
His response to some fans' distaste for him was the correct one, although it could have been articulated better. But that's the attitude it takes to play in a sports city like Boston. When he's healthy and swinging the bat like Cora knows he can, he should fit right in with this Red Sox squad, on and off the field.