Purple Sox supervisor Alex Cora instructed reporters, together with Ian Browne of MLB.com, following at the moment’s win over the Tigers that second baseman Vaughn Grissom will must be positioned on the 10-day injured listing as a consequence of what he termed a “gentle” hamstring pressure. Grissom exited the sport after pulling up whereas operating out a groundout earlier within the sport, resulting in catcher Connor Wong changing Grissom on the keystone. In accordance with Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, Cora indicated to reporters that Wong’s shock look at second base at the moment was as a consequence of utility infielder Romy Gonzalez not being obtainable, though he didn’t specify what was ailing Gonzalez or if he could be obtainable tomorrow afternoon.
The information about Grissom constitutes one other brutal harm blow for a Purple Sox membership that has struggled to remain wholesome this yr, significantly on the positional facet. Grissom himself has appeared in simply 23 video games this season after being sidelined into Might by a hamstring pressure throughout Spring Coaching. Luckily, as famous by Browne, that pressure impacted his left hamstring, whereas at the moment’s harm was a proper hamstring pressure. That Grissom’s harm is a brand new one ought to enable him to return to motion extra rapidly than if he had re-injured the identical hamstring as earlier than, however he’ll nonetheless miss at the very least the subsequent ten days with no clear timetable for his return to motion.
When he’s been wholesome sufficient to take the sector, the begin to Grissom’s Purple Sox tenure has been a tough one. He’s hit simply .159/.209/.163 in 86 journeys to the plate for Boston thus far this season. That’s a very tough capsule to swallow for Purple Sox followers given the truth that veteran southpaw Chris Sale, who the membership swapped to Atlanta with a purpose to purchase Grissom, has dominanted to a 2.12 ERA and NL-best 2.11 FIP in his first ten begins with the membership, serving to to anchor the membership’s rotation alongside Max Fried within the absence of ace Spencer Strider.
Whereas Grissom’s manufacturing so far gained’t precisely be tough for the Purple Sox to interchange, his absence will solely serve to additional compound the membership’s different positional accidents. Trevor Story, Triston Casas, Tyler O’Neill, and Masataka Yoshida are all already on the injured listing, with Story out for the season and Casas additionally dealing with a prolonged absence. Luckily, the membership’s state of affairs is just not with out silver linings. Cora instructed reporters (together with MassLive’s Christopher Smith) earlier at the moment that O’Neill’s ailing knee has responded nicely to a cortisone shot and the membership figures to be with out the outfielder for less than the ten day minimal, a timeline which ought to enable him to return to motion early subsequent week.
Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe relayed equally optimistic information relating to Yoshida, who instructed reporters that he’s now not feeling any destructive results from the thumb harm that sidelined him final month. That gained’t assist the Purple Sox within the quick time period, as Yoshida will nonetheless have to construct up after a month of time rehabbing the harm earlier than he can return to the large league membership, however it’s nonetheless an encouraging signal for a group that figures to be with out Grissom for at the very least a few weeks. Each Yoshida and O’Neill have been hitting at an above-average clip general on the time of their accidents, and if wholesome ought to be capable to step into the membership’s outfield combine as key items alongside Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu.
The upcoming return of O’Neill, particularly, needs to be a aid for the Purple Sox as it could actually present the membership with the chance to make the most of versatile rookie Ceddanne Rafaela, who has primarily performed middle subject for the membership this yr, on the infield filth whereas Grissom is unavailable. Within the meantime, the membership figures to show to Enmanuel Valdez and David Hamilton up the center, with Gonzalez additionally a possible contributor on the keystone ought to he return to motion within the coming days.