Vaughn Grissom is finally back from the injured list, but the 23-year-old infielder will be staying in Worcester for the time being.
The Red Sox announced on Thursday that Grissom has been activated from the 10-day IL and is being optioned to Triple-A. Grissom had been on the IL since June 2 with a right hamstring strain and began a rehab assignment with the WooSox on July 20, but that assignment expired on Thursday, forcing the Red Sox to make a decision on whether or not to bring him back to the majors.
Acquired this past offseason from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for left-hander Chris Sale, Grissom was expected to step in as Boston’s new starting second baseman and form a dynamic middle infield tandem with Chris Sale. But injuries have largely kept both players off the field, and Grissom’s season never got off the ground after he suffered a groin injury during the winter shortly after joining the club.
As a result of that injury and a subsequent left hamstring strain, Grissom missed all of spring training and didn’t make his debut until May 3. Once he returned he was clearly not himself, and in 23 games Grissom batted .148 with a .367 OPS and only one extra-base hit in 94 plate appearances.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora attributed Grissom’s poor showing to his still being behind the eight ball physically, which also contributed to his most recent right hamstring strain. Once Grissom got back on the field the club made a point to emphasize they wanted him to build back up physically and weren’t going to rush him and risk another setback.
By optioning Grissom to Worcester the second baseman will have more time to build his strength, but the other reality for Boston is they are no longer in a position where onboarding a young player makes sense.
The Red Sox came into Thursday’s off day trailing the Kansas City Royals by 1.5 games for the final American League Wild Card spot, and the expectation is the last two months of the season will be a hotly contested race that could come down to the final day.
If Boston was going to bring back Grissom, they needed to be sure he’d be as good or better than their current options. With Romy Gonzalez playing so well, David Hamilton establishing himself as a dynamic big league option and recent call-up Nick Sogard providing versatility and a switch-hitting bat, the club could reasonably conclude that the best place for Grissom right now is Triple-A.
There he can continue to get regular playing time and build up physically in a lower stakes environment, that way if the Red Sox ever do need to call his number, he’ll have the best chance possible to succeed.