The Atlanta Braves are preparing to welcome the Boston Red Sox to Truist Park for a quick two-game series. It's going to be an interesting series as the Red Sox are playing surprisingly well and have great pitching.
It also will have a bit of drama as former Braves prospect Vaughn Grissom returns to Atlanta for the first time since being traded for Chris Sale. Both sides of that transaction will be displayed for their former clubs this week.
Chris Sale, who was considered to have his best years behind him, has shown he's got more left in the tank after Boston traded him. He will hope to continue that good work and show them what they lost. He faces off against his former employer on Wednesday evening.
He's been one of Atlanta's biggest highlights with a 3.44 ERA and a 4-1 record through 36. 2 innings. Sale has allowed 14 earned runs with seven walks and 42 strikeouts.
His 42 strikeouts are tied for the 10th-most in the National League alongside MacKenzie Gore, Brandon Pfaadt, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. So, it's going to be fun to watch him face off with a Red Sox offense that has struck out 347 times in 2024 which is the second most in baseball.
Grissom just now joined his new team after being injured in Spring Training with a hamstring issue. Boston is excited to add Grissom to their lineup as they could use a decent defensive infield option and his bat is already a given.
In 64 total games with the Braves across 2022 and 2023, Grissom batted .287 with a .746 OPS, five home runs, 27 RBI, and five stolen bases. He was also a beloved part of the clubhouse as many of his teammates in Atlanta stated after the trade was announced.
WELCOME TO THE RED SOX VAUGHN GRISSOM! pic.twitter.com/3n1VTNEOyE
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) May 5, 2024
Boston received a great player whom they will have a few years of control over and Atlanta received a veteran starter who has become one of the best pieces of the 2024 rotation.
Vaughn has played in just two games so far at the MLB level and has one hit (a double) with two RBI. He started working his way back to the majors on April 12 with Boston's Triple-A affiliate. He featured in nine games and achieved a .333 average with 10 hits, two RBI, two stolen bases, five walks, and nine strikeouts.
He's still hitting the ball well and is a threat on the basepaths. While he is returning with the enemy, it will be fun to see Grissom back on the field at Truist Park. Interestingly, he landed with the team that he hit his first MLB homer against and fans will never forget him blasting the baseball over the Green Monster.
.@GrissomVaughn clears the Monster for his first career hit and homer!
— MLB (@MLB) August 11, 2022
(MLB x @SportClips) pic.twitter.com/sfekbaav2l
He has a career .337 average in 29 games at Truist Park. His trade to Boston was a hard one to stomach at the time because he fit so well within the Braves' incredible clubhouse culture.
However, he has found his new home and we will root for his success from afar and know Atlanta was a small part in helping shape his MLB future.