Vaughn

Grissom

Grissom will open the season on the shelf after suffering a wrist injury late in camp. His departure means it’ll be Adam Frazier and Oswald Peraza splitting time at second base to open the season.

The move paves a relatively unobstructed path for veteran Adam Frazier to open the year as the Angels’ starting second baseman. Technically, Oswald Peraza, Nick Madrigal and Vaughn Grissom remain in the mix but they’ve struggled this spring and make more sense in bench roles. Los Angeles took Moore with the eighth-overall pick back in 2024, one spot before Pittsburgh grabbed baseball’s current top prospect Konnor Griffin. The 23-year-old second baseman has hit just .198/.284/.370 with seven homers in 53 games at the highest level and has struggled to emerge as an everyday option.

Grissom struck out in his lone at-bat prior to exiting the contest. The 25-year-old infielder has gotten off to a frigid start at the plate this spring, batting .185 over 11 Cactus League contests.

Grissom came over from the Red Sox in an offseason trade and hasn’t exactly torn the cover off the ball this spring in Angels camp. The 25-year-old second baseman’s lackluster defense limits his appeal in a bench spot and he simply hasn’t shown enough at the plate to justify carrying him over someone like Chris Taylor or Jeimer Candelario in a reserve role.

This deal was reported last week and is now official after Moncada passed a physical. The 30-year-old played in 84 games for the Angels last season, hitting .234/.336/.448 in 289 plate appearances. He will head into spring training as the favorite to start at third base, with Christian Moore battling Vaughn Grissom and Oswald Peraza for the second base job.

The Red Sox thought Grissom could be their long-term second baseman when they acquired him from the Braves for Chris Sale prior to the 2024 campaign, but he was often hurt and hit just .190 in 31 major league games during his two-year stint with the club. He’ll get a fresh start with the Angels, who have openings at second base and third base at the moment. If he makes the team, it could be at second, with top prospect Christian Moore moving to third or heading to Triple-A. If not, he’ll likely go on waivers, since he’s out of options.

Outfield Isaiah Jackson, an eighth-round pick in the 2025 draft, is the return, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. Grissom is out of options and the Red Sox were going to need to open a couple of more 40-man roster spots, so a trade here seemed like a lock. Grissom didn’t appear in the majors last season and finished at .270/.342/.441 in 96 games for Triple-A Worcester. His contact ability still might allow him to resemble an adequate regular if he can stay healthy, but it’s been a challenge lately. He figures to battle Christian Moore and Kyren Paris for the starting job at second in Anaheim, with Moore perhaps sliding to third if both he and Grissom impress.

It might not be going far enough to classify Grissom’s time with the Red Sox as a colossal disappointment over the last two seasons. Frankly, it’s shocking he’s still with the organization at this juncture as he seemed like a virtual lock to be moved at the trade deadline. The 24-year-old has spent the entire year toiling away in Triple-A purgatory and will be shut down for the rest of the year now. The procedural move frees up a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster for pitching prospect Connelly Early.

Grissom has been on fire at the plate in Triple-A with hits in 10 of his last 12 games and home runs in each of his last three. He has an .890 OPS since the start of June and is hitting .281 on the season with 12 home runs, 46 RBI, and nine steals. He doesn’t bring the base-running ability that David Hamilton does, but Grissom might be better at everything else and deserves a shot to play for Boston if Marcelo Mayer (wrist) is out for a while. Or Boston could use him as a trade chip at the deadline.

We talk a lot about the Red Sox logjam in the outfield, but with Alex Bregman back and Marcelo Mayer shifting to second base, Boston also has a logjam in the infield. Grissom is just 24 years old and is hitting .283/.354/.446 in 82 games at Triple-A with nine home runs, 39 RBI, and eight steals. He’s played shortstop, second base, third base, and first base, and could be used as a trade chip for the Red Sox this summer if they don’t think he has a home in Boston while battling prospects like Mayer, Kristian Campbell, and Mickey Romero, among others.