John Tomase shares why the Red Sox might be ‘buyers’ at the trade deadline after all.
To this point, the offseason trade that sent Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Vaughn Grissom looks like a lopsided loss for the Boston Red Sox.
Grissom has appeared in only 23 games this season due to hamstring issues. When he's been healthy enough to play, he hasn't produced. The 23-year-old second baseman is hitting .148 (12-for-81) with a .367 OPS and 19 strikeouts in 87 plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Sale has reverted to All-Star form. The veteran left-hander, who struggled with injuries over his final four years in Boston, has stayed healthy and posted an 11-3 record, 2.71 ERA, and 0.91 WHIP with 127 strikeouts in 99.2 innings (16 starts) for the Braves. He was named to the All-Star team -- his eighth career selection -- for the first time since 2018.
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The Red Sox hoped Grissom would fill their second base void for 2024 and beyond. While that hasn't come to fruition, it seems far too early to lose faith in the former top prospect.
If Boston's front office feels differently, Grissom isn't sweating it.
“I just want to play my game and if they like it, they like it. If they don’t, (expletive) it,” Grissom told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. “I’m here for a reason. I’m sure there’s a next guy up if they don’t like it. That’s the ever-revolving door of baseball. Just trying to play my game and help the team win.”
Grissom's injury woes started early in the offseason and forced him to miss all of spring training. His season debut for Boston was delayed due to an illness that caused him to lose 14 pounds. Injuring his hamstring after playing poorly in his brief stint was the icing on the cake.
“It’s tough. But it could be worse,” Grissom told Cotillo. “It’s one of those things were you have to trust the process. Everybody has their (bad) year. This is mine. In a way, it’s nice to get it out of the way, but it sucks. Not a lot of guys go through this game and don’t get hurt.
"Look at all of the stars that are down right now ... It’s part of the game. It sucks when it happens to you because you never think it will. You never think you’ll get into a car crash then you get into a car crash. It’s my turn. Everyone has to do it.”
Grissom may still have a chance to showcase his high upside this season. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said before Wednesday's game vs. Oakland that the club hopes to start planning out his minor-league rehab assignment toward the end of the week.
If he plays to his potential, it'll go a long way toward helping a Boston lineup that could use another right-handed bat and a consistent presence at second base. There's also a chance the Red Sox include Grissom in trade discussions with the July 30 deadline approaching.
