Latest Vaughn Grissom Update Provides Clarity Around AAA Assignment

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

The Atlanta Braves shocked their fanbase with surprising roster moves on Monday. One of the more surprising decisions was Vaughn Grissom being optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. After all, the 22-year-old was expected to compete for the Braves starting shortstop spot after Dansby Swanson left in free agency.

However, The Athletic's Peter Gammons reports that there's more to the move than meets the eye. According to Gammons, Atlanta's coaching staff was "concerned" last week that Grissom is dealing with a hernia issue, likely playing a role in his being optioned.

Vaughn Grissom News

It's going to be interesting to see how serious Grissom's hernia issue is. It was less than 24 hours ago that the Orlando, FL native recorded three hits and an RBI in the Braves' 6-5 spring training win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Even more interesting is that Grissom was the only player on his team to play the entire contest.

After beginning the 2022 campaign in the minors, Vaughn was called up to the MLB in August and didn't look back. Seeing 141 at-bats over 41 games with the Braves, the talented infielder racked up five home runs, 18 RBIs, five stolen bases and a .291/.353/.440 slash line.

While that's a small sample size, Vaughn picked up from where he left off once spring training began. Home runs have eluded him, but he's still tallied six RBIs and a pair of doubles while slashing .371/.400/.429 in 35 at-bats. Those stats don't exactly warrant an assignment.

Nevertheless, the duration of Grissom's time in the minors remains to be seen. He's a terrific talent and has shown that he can be an everyday starter. If he can begin the Triple-A campaign on a hot note, the Braves won't be able to deny him a call-up for long.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.