BOSTON — The Red Sox expect to place second baseman Vaughn Grissom on the 10-day injured list after he suffered a right hamstring strain in Boston’s 6-3 win Saturday.
Manager Alex Cora called it “a mild strain.” It happened running out a groundout he hit to third base for the final out of the second inning.
“Pretty frustrating,” Grissom said. “Trying to dig one out. … Obviously very unexpected. It just grabbed on me.”
Grissom spent the first 32 games this season on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. He was asked if this strain feels similar.
“Right now it’s too early I guess to tell,” Grissom said.
“Obviously be careful and be safe with it and try to get back as soon as possible,” Grissom added. “But just take it day by day.”
First baseman/third baseman Bobby Dalbec (who also has played right field at Triple-A Worcester) and catcher Tyler Heineman are the only two minor league position player options already on the 40-man roster.
Dalbec makes sense to replace Grissom. The Red Sox could play Enmanuel Valdez at second base in Grissom’s absence.
“He was our starting second baseman early in the season,” manager Alex Cora said about Valdez. “We liked the way he played defense, too, early in the season. So we’ll see where we’re at. We’re going to meet now and go over a few things and then we’ll decide what we do.”
Grissom got sick with the flu and lost 14 pounds right before coming off the IL in early May. He is 12-for-81 (.148 batting average) with just one double, three RBIs, six runs, five walks and 19 strikeouts in 23 games. He has zero multi-hit games this season but Cora said before Saturday’s game he was seeing some improvements after adjustments Grissom made during cage work.
“I feel like I was just seeing light at the end of the tunnel. So it sucks,” Grissom said.
