Fresh off a 7-0 win over the Athletics in their series opener Monday night, the Boston Red Sox are looking to lock in their spot in the AL playoff field. Three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, Boston's third-place status might relegate them to a Wild Card spot. While the Red Sox would be fine with any method of getting into the playoffs, the team still has a couple of question marks. To promote starting pitcher Connelly Early, Boston promoted infielder Vaughn Grissom and then placed him on the 60-Day IL, according to Red Sox beat writer Tim Healey on X (formerly Twitter).
“The Red Sox called up Vaughn Grissom … to put him on the 60-day IL (thus opening a spot on the 40-man roster for Connelly Early),” reported Healey. “Grissom has plantar fasciitis.”
While the move to promote Grissom and then place him on the 60-Day IL is useful now, it could hurt the Red Sox when it comes to October. After all, the Los Angeles Dodgers showed during their march towards a World Series title that depth is key to postseason success. Will Early be a part of a potential Boston pitching staff in October? If not, will the team regret not being able to use Grissom in the annual gauntlet?
Red Sox look to lock in postseason spot over the next few weeks
Early is coming up to the majors to replace May in the starting rotation. Another one of the Red Sox top prospects, Early will hope to make an impact similar to Payton Tolle's, who was also recently promoted. It's clear that Boston is looking to fill out its playoff pitching staff. The starting rotation will certainly contain ace Garrett Crochet plus right handers Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello as long as they stay healthy.
The hope was that May would join them. After coming over in a trade deadline deal with the Dodgers, the right-hander has locked in a rotation spot. Now, his elbow neuritis diagnosis gives him a murky future. Can Early size May's rotation spot and clinch a spot on the postseason roster? It won't be the first time a rookie has made an impact on Boston's postseason hopes. If Early has his say, then it certainly won't be the last, either.
