Vaughn Grissom absent from Angels’ lineup Thursday

Grissom was hit by a pitch in the 11th before the game-ended with a Christian Moore bases-loaded infield single that bounced off Taylor Rogers’ leg. Grissom’s homer off A.J. Minter was his 12th. His .237/.305/.384 line isn’t anything special, but he has managed to drive in 66 runs in 442 plate appearances. He should be ahead of Moore on the depth chart at second base to open next season. It just remains to be seen if the Angels will seek an outside upgrade there.

After the Angels had been shut out through seven innings, Grissom brought the team within a run with a two-run homer off Brad Lord. It was the 11th home run for the 25-year-old infielder. He’s slashing .242/.306/.387 with 43 runs and 62 RBI across 414 plate appearances.

All three of Ballesteros’s hits left the bat at over 100 mph. He’s still batting just .195/.242/.283 through 30 games with the Angels, but things might be getting better. He’s struck out just once in his last four games, compared to 30 times in his first 26 games with the team.

Ballesteros has now started four of the last six games at either first base or designated hitter. The Angels are also carrying two other catchers on their roster, so it seems like they will limit how many starts Ballesteros makes behind the dish for the remainder of the season. That has meant Vaughn Grissom has played more third base and Oswald Peraza has shifted to the bench.

Grissom’s last hit was a 391-foot double to left that would have been a homer in 26 ballparks. In Angel Stadium, it really ought to have been caught, but Cody Bellinger just didn’t get a good jump on it. Grissom’s .249/.311/.389 line isn’t especially impressive, and his future as a long-term regular is far from secure. Still, his approach is pretty good, and at age 25, he could get a little stronger. He should be close to clinching a spot on the 2027 Angels, even if he might not deserve to be penciled into the starting lineup.

What has happened here? Ballesteros’s future as a catcher has been in question forever, but he certainly seemed like a very solid bat coming into 2026 and through the first month of this season. Now, though, he’s hitting .145 and slugging .184 in his last 203 plate appearances. It’s good that he’s still just 22, but he needs to be so, so much better than this to be of use as a catcher or a DH.

Grissom hit a two-run homer in the first inning off a wholly ineffective Gavin Williams, and then took Logan Allen deep in the fifth. The 25-year-old is just organizational depth at this stage in his career, but it’s fun to be reminded why Grissom was considered a potential star when coming up in the Atlanta organization.

Christian Moore is up to replace him, so we’ll likely see a lot of him at second and Vaughn Grissom at first. No word yet on what kind of absence we’re looking at for Schanuel, who has hit .276/.351/.385 in 446 plate appearances, but he can be dropped in shallow leagues.

Grissom delivered an RBI single in the second inning that tied the game at 2-2, then came around to score the go-ahead run on a bunt by Tyler Heineman. He then added a two-run double in the fourth that pushed their advantage to 10-2. The 25-year-old has at least held his own at the MLB level this season, slashing .249/.308/.377 with seven long balls and 50 RBI in 329 plate appearances.

The 22-year-old backstop served as the Angels’ designated hitter in this one. He sparked a three-run rally with a leadoff double in the second inning and scored on an RBI knock by Vaughn Grissom. He then added a two-run single in the fourth that increased their lead to 8-2 before scoring on Grissom’s two-run double. It has been a rough year overall at the plate for Ballesteros, slashing .208/.280/.325 with six homers and 25 RBI in 236 plate appearances between the Cubs and Angels.