Who Is Vaughn Grissom, the Red Sox prospect acquired in the Chris Sale trade?
Following the free agent acquisition of pitcher Lucas Giolito on Friday, the Boston Red Sox traded left-hander Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday for infielder Vaughn Grissom.
With uncertainty surrounding who will play second base in 2024, Grissom, who has appeared in 64 major league games over the last two seasons, contributes to that depth. According to MLB Pipeline, the 22-year-old joins the Red Sox as the No. 22 ranked prospect in 2020, with experience at second base, shortstop, and limited work at third base with the Braves.
Grissom batted.287/.339/407 with five home runs, nine doubles, and 27 RBIs in 2022, and he hit his first major league home run at Fenway Park on Aug. 10, 2022, blasting then-Red Sox pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez deep over the Green Monster.
Grissom was selected by the Braves in the 11th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft. In 2023, he spent the majority of the season with Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers, where he hit.330/.419/.501 with eight home runs, 36 doubles, four triples, and 61 RBIs in 102 games.
In preparation for the upcoming 2024 campaign, Grissom has continued playing, joining the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Puerto Rican Winter League — reporting earlier this month.
Had it not been for Orlando Arcia — Atlanta’s everyday starting shortstop — the Braves wouldn’t have kept Grissom in the farm system to remain active, making the move to Boston a favorable one for him. The Red Sox have the opening to welcome Grissom with open arms and insert him into a starting role, helping add a right-handed bat to the lineup with some handy defensive versatility if needed.
“It was tough,” Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said of the move, according to Sports Illustrated’s Lindsay Crosby. “One of the more difficult guys to move.” I dialed his number. I think everyone in the organization thinks highly of him.”
Anthopoulos added: “It’s a painful (trade) because of how highly we view him, but (Boston is) a much better fit for his career.”
The Red Sox have six years of contract control over Grissom.
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