Red Sox second baseman likely to miss Opening Day
According to Red Sox manager Alex Cora, newly acquired second baseman Vaughn Grissom is unlikely to play on Opening Day due to a groin strain on his left side.
"We've got to shut him down," Cora told Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe on Saturday. "It's going to take more than a few days. Obviously, no timetable. But with this now, Opening Day might not happen for him."
Grissom was injured while fielding ground balls on Thursday. An MRI showed that the infielder had suffered a slight strain.
"I was just taking ground balls, and it bit me," Grissom told MLB.com's Dawn Klemish. "Obviously, it [stinks]. New group, I want to be out there with the guys, so it's definitely frustrating."
Cora will likely rely on either Enmanuel Valdez or veteran Pablo Reyes to fill in for Grissom. Valdez started 44 games at second base and hit .266 with six homers and 19 RBI in 2023. Reyes started 21 games at second and had a slash line of .287/.339/.377 with two home runs and 20 RBI.
"Obviously disappointed in a sense because we wanted Vaughn to get as many reps as possible and hopefully be the starting second baseman of the Boston Red Sox," Cora said.
Valdez isn't the best defensively, but Cora says that he feels there was an improvement after working with former Red Sox coach Carlos Febles during winter ball in the Dominican Republic.
"He's moving well; he's throwing the ball well. He put [in] work," Cora said.
Grissom was acquired on Dec. 30 in a trade that sent Red Sox ace Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves. CBO Craig Breslow believes the 23-year-old can bring stability to a position that has been a revolving door since Dustin Pedroia in 2017.
In 2023, Grissom played in 23 major league games, hitting .280/.313/.347 before losing out on the shortstop job. He was then sent down to the minors where he spent most of the season in Triple-A, slashing .330/.419/.501.
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