Alex Cora’s high praise for Vaughn Grissom after Red Sox optioning him is bizarre
The competition in one of the Boston Red Sox’s most crowded spring training position battles got tighter on March 19 when the team optioned Vaughn Grissom to minor league camp.
The former Brave stood among Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, Nick Sogard, David Hamilton, Romy González and more in competition for the starting second base job on Boston’s Opening Day roster. Unfortunately for Grissom, he was the first cut.
The young infielder entered camp as some reporters’ favorite for the starting job. He played fine defense there for the Sox when he wasn’t on the mend from hamstring and groin strains. His bat was the biggest issue in the majors and in Triple-A — he slashed .190/.246/.219 over 31 games with the Red Sox and .259/.385/.373 in 55 games with the WooSox.
Grissom also struggled offensively this spring training, with six hits and six strikeouts to his name over 13 appearances. It seems Boston didn’t think his camp would go this way, though.
Alex Cora urges Vaughn Grissom to play his way into a trade from the Red Sox organization
Over the winter, Red Sox manager Alex Cora praised Grissom for the work he put in to make the big league squad in 2025. He packed on muscle and added more weight than the Sox asked for, but he still didn’t stack up against their other middle infield options. Still, Cora doesn’t want the 24-year-old to get discouraged, and he gave him some solid, but strange, advice.
