Red Sox Leaning On ‘Stronger’ Future Piece Down Stretch

BOSTON -- Red Sox manager Alex Cora knows his club is essentially playing out the string.

The Red Sox were all but eliminated from postseason contention Friday, as their extra-innings loss to the Minnesota Twins dropped their postseason odds below one percent. Boston still has seven games left, however, which brings up the question of what it can do to make the final week of the regular season count.

Vaughn Grissom, for one, is going to see a lot of time at second base.

Grissom was recalled from Triple-A Worcester on Friday and made a late appearance in the loss at Fenway Park. Cora was asked Saturday whether that was a sign of what's to come and agreed the 23-year-old would receive plenty of opportunities over the coming week.

"We're going to get Vaughn as many games as possible this week," Cora said. "... He looks stronger. He's in a good place. I talked to him after the game. I don't want him to come here to think that he has to show us who he is.

"(We told him) 'Just keep doing the things that you were doing in Triple-A with the structure of your work -- pre-game meetings, post-game meetings, defensive work -- everything you were doing there with (WooSox manager Chad Tracy) and the group, we're going to do it here and we're going to help you out.'"

Boston would be smart to allow Grissom to keep the same routine, as he's been tremendous over the last month.

Grissom showed steady progress throughout his two-month stay in Worcester, hitting .340 with 12 RBIs and 14 runs scored over the last three weeks. 

The Red Sox have been waiting for an opportunity to truly see what the Grissom can do. Boston acquired him from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Chris Sale but saw groin and hamstring injuries delay his debut until the first week of May, where he would slash .148/.207/.160 in 23 games before hitting the injured list yet again and eventually find his way to the minor leagues.

Grissom will have another chance to show what he can do, however, perhaps setting himself up for a spot in the Opening Day lineup in 2025.