The latest tough break for this former top prospect.
It’s getting to be crunch time for players on the roster bubble across Major League Baseball, and that bubble began to burst for some of the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, the Red Sox reportedly informed a pair of right-handed pitchers, Luis Guerrero and Josh Winckowski, that they were being sent to Triple-A. Later in the afternoon, a position player who entered the year with high hopes to earn a starting job was dealt a similarly tough blow.
Vaughn Grissom, the 24-year-old second baseman who the Red Sox acquired in the Chris Sale trade with the Atlanta Braves in December of 2023, entered spring training hoping to win the starting job. But he couldn’t seem to find his footing at the plate, and now, he’ll have to wait a while for any shot to appear in the majors.
The Red Sox officially announced Wednesday afternoon that Grissom is being optioned to Triple-A Worcester to begin the season. It will be his last minor-league option, so he’ll have to sink or swim from here on out.
It’s a tough break for Grissom on a number of levels. He came into camp noticeably stronger, and the coaching staff was raving about his increased bat speed. But he slashed .176/.300/.235 in 40 spring training plate appearances, so he didn’t have much of an argument to make the team.
Meanwhile, Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive reported Tuesday that top prospect Kristian Campbell has emerged as the favorite to win the starting job. Campbell’s rise through the Red Sox system has dampened Grissom’s hopes of becoming the permanent starter.
At the time Grissom was traded for Sale, it seemed like the Red Sox were getting good value. Sale hadn’t been healthy in five years and was entering his final year of an ill-fated contract extension. Meanwhile, Grissom had looked solid in his brief big-league cameos, and came with a full six years of control.
We all know what happened next. Sale stayed healthy and won his first career Cy Young Award at age 35, while Grissom struggled through injuries, spent a lot of time in Triple-A, and wound up hitting .190 with a .219 slugging percentage in 31 big-league games.
Not every trade has to be a win for an organization to have success. Obviously, the Red Sox wish the optics of the Sale deal were better, but at this point, they have to play the second baseman that gives them the best chance of getting to the playoffs.
