After rotating multiple players at second base for the most of previous season, the Boston Red Sox will have Vaughn Grissom fill the position full-time in 2024.
However, manager Alex Cora will not be able to insert Grissom into the starting lineup immediately.
Grissom, who Boston acquired from the Atlanta Braves this offseason in exchange for Chris Sale, was largely absent from spring training due to a groin strain suffered early in camp, and he will not be ready to play on Opening Day against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Thursday.
However, a schedule for Grissom’s Red Sox debut is beginning to take shape.
“The plan for Vaughn Grissom is to stay in extended spring training until April 7, then rejoin the Red Sox at Fenway Park for the home opener before being assigned to a minor league team,” said The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham on Tuesday.
Because Grissom did not participate in any spring training games, it is uncertain how much time he will need in the minors to prepare for the season. However, if everything goes as planned, he should be able to return in April.
The 23-year-old joins the Red Sox with a lot of promise, but he didn’t have many chances to prove it on a stacked Braves squad. Grissom, who made his major league debut in 2022 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, appeared in only 64 games for Atlanta over the last two seasons, batting.287 with five home runs, 27 RBIs, and five stolen bases.
Enmanuel Valdez and Pablo Reyes are slated to start at second base, with Grissom’s debut in a Red Sox uniform postponed for the time being.