The Red Sox are sending Vaughn Grissom to Triple-A as spring training wraps up, and manager Alex Cora’s comments suggest the 24-year-old infielder might be showcasing his talents for other teams rather than Boston.
Grissom initially turned heads with the Braves, slashing .291/.353/.440 in his first 41 MLB games. But after coming to Boston, he’s lost the second base competition to prospects like David Hamilton, Kristian Campbell, and even shortstop Marcelo Mayer, who’s getting reps at second with Trevor Story locked in at short.
Cora’s comments about Grissom’s demotion raised eyebrows across baseball.
“He did everything possible in the offseason,” Cora told MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “He killed it. We asked him to show up at 220, he showed up at 221. He turned the double play well. There’s a few things that we talked about that I think he can do better defensively. But it was like, ‘just go down there and do your thing.’ As a player, especially where we’re at [as an organization] right now, ‘just go down there and kill it. Be selfish. Do your thing, show everybody that you can be a big leaguer, and not only with us, right? I think in the industry. Show them that you’re still young, you’re still a good athlete.”
That last part is telling. Cora essentially acknowledged Grissom is auditioning for 29 other teams while in Triple-A. It’s not often you hear a manager publicly suggest a player should perform well to increase trade value.
The writing seems to be on the wall. With Campbell and Mayer ahead of him on the depth chart, Grissom’s path to Boston’s lineup looks blocked. His spring performance didn’t help either – he hit just .176 in 34 at-bats.
“But this is the route we’re going,” Cora added. “We haven’t yet made a decision about second base, but we’re getting close, and he’s not in the equation. He needs to play too. He has to go down there and play.”
When a manager says you’re “not in the equation” before the season even begins, that’s about as clear as it gets. The Red Sox appear ready to move on from Grissom despite acquiring him just months ago. Now it’s just a matter of whether he can rebuild his value in Triple-A enough to attract interest from teams needing infield help.
