Red Sox's Vaughn Grissom: Fails to make Opening Day roster
Rotowire
The Red Sox optioned Grissom to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Grissom had seemingly fallen to third in line behind Kristian Campbell and David Hamilton in the second base competition, so it's not a surprise he's being cut from big-league camp. The 24-year-old has batted just .176 with a .535 OPS in 13 contests this spring.
Grissom may be behind David Hamilton in the battle for the starting second base job, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora is expected to name his starter at second base soon, but it looks like both Grissom (.176 average, .535 OPS) and Kristian Campbell (15 strikeouts in 36 Cactus League at-bats) are losing out to Hamilton. The speedy Hamilton (.812 OPS, five steals) is out-hitting both competitors, and Cora's comments suggest he's more of a known commodity. The manager also noted Hamilton's improvement at the dish in 2024. The lone caveat here is if Rafael Devers eventually takes over at third base, which would likely mean Alex Bregman plays the keystone.
Grissom went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Friday's spring game against the Marlins.
After going 1-for-13 to start Grapefruit League competition, Grissom has hit in three straight, going 4-for-9 with two walks, two doubles and two RBI. He opened spring training as one of a group competing for the starting job at second base. One of those competitors, Kristian Campbell, has recently received more playing time (and practice time) in the outfield, leaving Grissom and David Hamilton to patrol the keystone. The elephant in the room is how Red Sox manager Alex Cora deploys third baseman Rafael Devers (shoulder) and Alex Bregman. Devers is expected to begin playing spring games this week as the designated hitter while Bregman continues on at third base. If Cora eventually decides Devers will be his third baseman, that means Bregman would move to second base and limit Grissom's opportunities.
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Red Sox's Vaughn Grissom: Stacking starts at second base
Rotowire
Grissom leads the Red Sox with six starts at second base this spring, Joe Weil of WEEI reports.
Top prospect Kristian Campbell has only started once at the keystone while getting three starts in left field. Grissom is limited to second base, so it makes sense that he wouldn't be playing other positions, but if the Red Sox happen to start the season with Masataka Yoshida (shoulder) on the injured list, Grissom could be the Opening Day starter at second base.
Red Sox's Vaughn Grissom: Starts Grapefruit League opener
Rotowire
Grissom started at second base and went 0-for-3 in Saturday's spring game against the Rays.
While third base has been the hot topic at the start of Boston's spring training, it has great impact on second base. That's where Grissom, Kristian Campbell and David Hamilton are competing for the starting job. Campbell came off the bench Saturday, going 0-for-1 with a walk and made a diving snare off a line drive in the seventh inning. The second-base battle becomes moot if the Red Sox opt to leave Rafael Devers at third base and have Alex Bregman start at second base.
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Red Sox's Vaughn Grissom: Has minor-league options
Rotowire
Boston's acquisition of Alex Bregman will impact Grissom, who has minor-league options remaining, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports. If the Red Sox deploy Bregman at second base, then the team could option Grissom to the minors without exposing him to waivers.
Grissom was the early leader in the competition for the vacant job at second base, which has been in flux since Dustin Pedroia retired. The position seemingly came down to Grissom and prospect Kristian Campbell. If the Red Sox opt to move Bregman to second base, then Grissom could be optioned to Triple-A Worcester to start the 2025 season. If Bregman moves to third base and Rafael Devers to designated hitter or first base, then the Grissom/Campbell competition will be back on.
Red Sox's Vaughn Grissom: Adds 20 pounds of muscle
Rotowire
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Tuesday that Grissom added about 20 pounds of muscle over the offseason, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Grissom appears motivated to bounce back from a lost season in 2024 that saw him play only 86 regular-season games between the majors and minors due to groin and hamstring problems. He posted just a .465 OPS with the Red Sox but did close with a .333/.370/.417 line and two steals over eight games in September. Grissom enters spring training in the mix for Boston's second-base job but will have to fend off Kristian Campbell and David Hamilton.
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