Vaughn Grissom on his rehab stint with the WooSox: 'Repetition is the only way to get the feel of the game'
Vaughn Grissom was tested on the very first play at second base during Friday night’s game against the Durham Bulls. He made a nice sliding grab, testing his reaction at the position, and threw the runner out at first.
“Coming off a soft tissue injury, it’s about making sure he gets enough sprint load, and hopefully he rifles a couple of balls out there and gets to move around the bases a bit more,” WooSox skipper Chad Tracy said to reporters.
Grissom played five innings on Friday night and seven innings in Game 2 of the team’s day-night doubleheader on Saturday.
The 23-year-old is locked into his rehab stint, focusing on getting as many games, innings, and at-bats under his belt before heading to Boston.
“I want to play as many games as I want, and so I just want to be able to be ready, really ready, when I go out there,” Grissom said. “It seems like that they’re missing a piece, and I want to be that piece, and I want to give them the best version of myself I can.”
The Florida native has logged just 12 innings in his rehab stint for Worcester and has looked strong at the position. He has one putout, three assists, one double play, and no errors.
Grissom feels like his timing is where it should be for someone who hasn’t had any spring training games.
“I feel like [my timing] is right where everyone’s was in the first week of spring training,” Grissom said. “My leg is feeling great, but I’ve just got to get some more at-bats. It’s just one of those sports where repetition is the only way to get the feel of the game, so I’m just playing it day by day.”
Grissom’s rehab is expected to take the full 20 days; the Red Sox want him back at 100% for when he takes over as their full-time second baseman.
