The Boston Red Sox's spring training roster cuts have picked up in pace with just over a week until Opening Day.
Boston's latest round of cuts came on March 19 and infielder Vaughn Grissom was optioned to minor league camp alongside four other cuts. Grissom was one of the many players in the running for the starting second base job that the Red Sox have struggled to fill since Dustin Pedroia's retirement, and the race just got a bit easier for the players still in the mix.
Grissom battled Nick Sogard, Kristian Campbell, David Hamilton and a few others for the middle infield role, but he's the first cut among the team's obvious second base candidates. Red Sox manager Alex Cora hyped Grissom up over the winter — he complimented the 24-year-old for packing on muscle and becoming more "explosive," but his performance in camp just didn't stack up to Boston's other options.
Grissom dealt with injuries at the beginning of his tenure with the Red Sox and got most of his playing time in Triple-A after he overcame hamstring and groin strains. Some reporters tabbed him as an early favorite in the second base race after his performance turned for the better in the final month of the 2024 slate. He batted .338/.467/.507 between Worcester and Boston in September, but the success at the plate didn't stick through the offseason.
Vaughn Grissom optioned to minor league camp after lackluster showing in Red Sox second base race
The #RedSox today announced the following roster moves:
— Red Sox (@RedSox) March 19, 2025
INF Vaughn Grissom and RHPs Luis Guerrero and Josh Winckowski were optioned to minor league camp.
Catchers Nathan Hickey and Mark Kolozsvary were reassigned to minor league camp.
Grissom batted .176/.300/.235 with six hits, six runs and three RBI in 13 spring training games. Two of his hits were doubles, and he struck out and walked six times each. His numbers are similar to his stats from his 31-game stint in the major leagues last season (.190/.246/.219) when he also struggled to meet the Sox's expectations.
Boston acquired Grissom by trading former ace Chris Sale to the Braves in December 2023. The deal has panned out far better for Atlanta so far. After two successful seasons with the Red Sox in 2017-18, Sale spent much of his five-year, $145 million extension injured. But in his first season with the Braves, Sale clocked a 2.38 ERA with a 2.09 FIP, 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings, and 225 strikeouts in 177.2 innings. He netted the National League pitching Triple Crown and won his first Cy Young Award.
There is still time for the Grissom trade to work out for Boston, too, as the infielder is young and under contract until 2029. He has his work cut out for him since he'll begin the upcoming season in Triple-A and will have to play his way into the big leagues with the Sox's top infield prospects potentially blocking the path.