Vaughn Grissom Optimistic About Upcoming 2024 Red Sox Season

Vaughn Grissom will debut with the Red Sox this upcoming season, getting a fresh start and a stable starting position on a team that's left the 23-year-old in high spirits since being traded this offseason to Boston.

Coming off back-to-back last-place finishes in the American League East, there's plenty of room for improvement for a still young Red Sox team. However, with that in mind, Grissom is positive about how the current roster shapes up a month ahead of spring training.

"We're young and exciting and then we have veterans just like every other team," Grissom told reporters recently. "We have a couple of veterans out there that know the game's ins and outs. We have (Rafael Devers) and (Trevor) Story and quite a few other guys. I'm really excited to get with this group. This is kind of a rebuild, it seems like, the way people are talking about it, but not really. We got a good core so all it takes is a little heater and you never know what could happen."

Boston finished 78-84 with a handful of areas for improvement, one of which Grissom helps fill.

With just 64 games of Major League Baseball experience, Grissom enters a much more favorable situation with Boston. Back in Atlanta, where Grissom rose in the prospect ranks with the Braves, the versatile infielder spent most of 2023 in Triple-A. There wasn't a spot for Grissom, even with Atlanta testing him out in the outfield -- where he played winter baseball in Puerto Rico before the trade.

"I'm feeling grown a little bit more. The power is coming through," Grissom added. "I'm excited to just go out there and play. We'll just let it all play out there, but I feel prepared and I hope the Red Sox feel that too."

Grissom, slated to take over as Boston's go-to second baseman in 2024, has several previous ties to the Red Sox -- aside from belting his first-career MLB home run at Fenway Park in 2022.

During his high school playing days in Florida, Grissom crossed paths with Boston first baseman Triston Casas and mentioned a dinner with pitcher Lucas Giolito last offseason.