BOSTON — Vaughn Grissom is back on the field, but the Red Sox aren’t certain he’ll be ready to take over at second base any time soon.
Grissom, the presumptive second baseman heading into the season, has to be activated from the injured list by Aug. 9, but two people in the organization said the team has considered optioning Grissom to Triple-A Worcester after the rehab clock is up. The 23-year-old has been sidelined for much of the year, and the Red Sox aren’t certain he’ll be at his best — or their best option — when his rehab assignment ends.
One person with knowledge of the team’s deadline approach said acquiring a right-handed infielder remains a possibility, though another said that pitching — both starters and relievers — has remained the team’s primary objective in trade talks. Earlier on Monday, the Red Sox sent prospect Nick Yorke to Pittsburgh for young right-hander Quinn Priester.
When the Red Sox traded for right-handed hitting catcher Danny Jansen over the weekend, manager Alex Cora announced that primary catcher Connor Wong could start seeing some reps at second base, making clear that the Red Sox are preparing for alternatives at the position.
“Everything is in play,” one source said about the Red Sox’s second base situation.
Position players are allotted 20 days for rehab assignments. In seven games in Worcester, Grissom has collected six hits (five singles and a double) while drawing four walks and striking out five times.
In his pre-game media availability on Monday, Cora noted Grissom’s progress, but still suggested there’s work to be done.
“He looks stronger. Gained some weight, (he needs to) keep working on the swing and the defensive part of it in pre-games,” Cora said. “He feels like he’s getting closer to himself, the best version of Vaughn Grissom.”
But he might not be that best version just yet.
The Red Sox traded for Grissom over the winter, sending Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves in hopes that Grissom would be the immediate and long-term solution at second base, but Grissom had an injury-riddled offseason that set him back and forced him to miss most of spring training with a groin strain and then hamstring strain. He debuted with the Red Sox on May 3, but played just 23 games before another hamstring injury forced him to the injured list on June 1. He’s been rehabbing ever since.
When asked on Monday if Grissom would be the team’s second baseman once he’s completed his rehab, Cora did not offer anything definitive.
“We get there when we get there, right?” Cora said. “He’s taking all the steps possible to be the best version of the player. It’s a guy, we bet on him in the offseason, and we trust him.
“We know he’s better than what we saw the two months he played,” Cora added. “We just have to be patient.”
(Photo: Brian Fluharty / Getty Images)
