Needless to say, it’s been a rough start to Vaughn Grissom’s Red Sox career. The infielder has just five hits in nine games since returning to the IL. It looks like the bout with the flu he suffered just as his rehab stint was winding down took a heavy toll on his body, as he still hasn’t returned to his playing weight. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
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Hopefully Garrett Whitlock’s rehab doesn’t end with any viruses. The righty worked into the fifth inning of yesterday’s game down in Worcester and looked strong. While the team hasn’t announced what his next move is yet, he says he’s ready to return to the big league club. (Alex Speier and Julian McWilliams, Boston Globe)
When he does return, Garrett Whitlock will rejoin a starting rotation that remains one of the best in all of baseball. The next step for the starters? Going deeper into games while not risking injury. (Tim Crowley, NESN)
The bullpen hasn’t been quite as strong as the rotation, but it’s been very good as well. Brennan Bernardino is a big part of that. After starting the season in AAA Worcester, he’s been one of the most effective relievers in baseball. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
But despite the outstanding pitching, the Red Sox continue to be mired in mediocrity. Last night, the pitching was wasted by more bad defense and sluggish hitting. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
With the lineup lagging behind the pitching, it may be only a matter of time before Chase Meidroth gets a shot. The infielder currently has more walks than strikeouts down in AAA. The biggest hurdles in the way of a promotion to the big leagues are (1) that he’s not yet on the 40-man roster (and unless he’s going to play every day, you don’t necessarily want to burn an option year) and, (2) with Grissom back, he no longer has an obvious place to play. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
