Opening Day Dreams Shattered

Boston Red Sox second baseman Vaughn Grissom suffered a left groin strain during spring training, casting doubt on his availability for Opening Day, according to manager Alex Cora’s remarks to reporters on Saturday.

The injury occurred while Grissom was participating in fielding drills earlier in the week, just before his anticipated spring training debut on Saturday.

Grissom, aged 23, joined the Red Sox as part of the December trade that saw Chris Sale move to the Atlanta Braves. Despite limited experience at the Major League level, having debuted in 2022 after a brief stint above Class A, Grissom showcased promising performance with a .291 batting average, five home runs, and 18 RBIs across 41 games.

Following his unsuccessful bid for the Braves’ shortstop position in the early stages of the 2023 season, Grissom predominantly played at Triple-A, where he impressed with a batting line of .330/.419/.501 while primarily occupying the shortstop role. However, his defensive struggles at shortstop persisted during his 22-game stint in the majors, where he posted a batting line of .280/.313/.347.

Grissom entered spring training as the leading candidate to secure the starting second baseman role for the Red Sox, with Cora expressing hopes that he would seize the opportunity and solidify his position on the team.