Vaughn Grissom

Grissom was hit by a pitch in the 11th before the game-ended with a Christian Moore bases-loaded infield single that bounced off Taylor Rogers’ leg. Grissom’s homer off A.J. Minter was his 12th. His .237/.305/.384 line isn’t anything special, but he has managed to drive in 66 runs in 442 plate appearances. He should be ahead of Moore on the depth chart at second base to open next season. It just remains to be seen if the Angels will seek an outside upgrade there.

Grissom has been functioning as the Angels’ everyday first baseman and cleanup hitter in recent weeks, he’ll get a well-deserved day off in this one though. Moises Ballesteros will start in his place and will bat in the cleanup spot against Twins’ right-hander Taj Bradley on Thursday evening at Angel Stadium.

After the Angels had been shut out through seven innings, Grissom brought the team within a run with a two-run homer off Brad Lord. It was the 11th home run for the 25-year-old infielder. He’s slashing .242/.306/.387 with 43 runs and 62 RBI across 414 plate appearances.

Grissom’s last hit was a 391-foot double to left that would have been a homer in 26 ballparks. In Angel Stadium, it really ought to have been caught, but Cody Bellinger just didn’t get a good jump on it. Grissom’s .249/.311/.389 line isn’t especially impressive, and his future as a long-term regular is far from secure. Still, his approach is pretty good, and at age 25, he could get a little stronger. He should be close to clinching a spot on the 2027 Angels, even if he might not deserve to be penciled into the starting lineup.

Grissom hit a two-run homer in the first inning off a wholly ineffective Gavin Williams, and then took Logan Allen deep in the fifth. The 25-year-old is just organizational depth at this stage in his career, but it’s fun to be reminded why Grissom was considered a potential star when coming up in the Atlanta organization.

Grissom delivered an RBI single in the second inning that tied the game at 2-2, then came around to score the go-ahead run on a bunt by Tyler Heineman. He then added a two-run double in the fourth that pushed their advantage to 10-2. The 25-year-old has at least held his own at the MLB level this season, slashing .249/.308/.377 with seven long balls and 50 RBI in 329 plate appearances.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine day of rest for the 25-year-old infielder. Adam Frazier will start in his place at second base and will bat ninth for the Halos against Marlins’ right-hander Ryan Gusto on Sunday afternoon in Miami.

It was a banner game for Grissom through eight, but he committed a big error at second base in the Astros’ four-run ninth and then grounded out to end the game with the tying run on base. Fortunately, it won’t be the difference in whether the Angels stay home in October or not. Grissom has looked like a legitimate solution at second base while hitting .259/.325/.411 this year. He has 77 hard-hit balls and just 39 strikeouts in 253 plate appearances.

Grissom pulled the Halos even at six runs apiece with his 381-foot (103.4-mph EV) two-run shot off of Jason Foley in the eighth inning. That would wind up being the extent of their offense in the extra-inning loss. Grissom also singled in the contest, finishing the night 2-for-5. For the season, the 25-year-old infielder is slashing a respectable .255/.319/.401 with six homers and 40 RBI in 239 plate appearances.

Grissom got the Angels going in the fourth inning with a solo home run off Twins’ starter Zebby Matthews and drove in their final run in the following frame with a sacrifice fly. He could be working his way into an everyday role again with his third straight here and sixth in the Angels’ last nine games.

Grissom was swinging well and playing regularly before going on the injured list with an oblique issue at the beginning of the month, but he’s just 3-for-21 since returning and the Angels have decided they prefer Donovan Walton and Denzer Guzman over him. With 58 hard-hit balls and just 20 strikeouts over 176 plate appearances, Grissom has shown some promise this year. He seems worthy of more playing time.

The Angels appear to be easing Grissom back into action, as he started two straight games after coming off the injured list on Wednesday. Expect him to be back in there on Saturday. Nolan Schanuel is at first base and batting second for the Halos against opposing left-hander Jeffrey Springs on Friday evening in West Sacramento.

Grissom has been out since June 8th with the oblique strain and could get right back into the starting lineup. The 25-year-old was hitting .246/.325/.410 with four homers and 27 RBI across 155 plate appearances through 40 games. He remains an option in deep fantasy leagues.

Grissom heads to the injured list after missing three consecutive contests over the weekend with side tightness. No word yet on the severity of the strain, which will determine how much time he misses. The 25-year-old has proven to be a worthwhile reclamation project for a perpetually rebuilding Los Angeles franchise, hitting .246/.325/.410 with four homers and 27 RBI across 155 plate appearances through 40 games.

Grissom was a late scratch from Friday’s lineup due to tightness in his left side and now he winds up missing the entire weekend series against the Dodgers. It sounds like he has shown improvement and will be able to avoid a trip to the injured list, but if this lingers into the start of next week, the Angels may be forced to make a move.

He’s considered day-to-day. Nick Madrigal will start in his place at second base and will bat eighth for the Angels against Roki Sasaki and the Dodgers on Friday evening.

Tonight’s homer was hit 106.8 mph off Michael Lorenzen. Grissom’s .246/.325/.410 line isn’t spectacular, but his 47 percent hard-hit rate, in combination with a tiny 11 percent strikeout rate, is very impressive. It seems doubly painful that the Red Sox traded Kyle Harrison for Caleb Durbin when they could have just gone forward with Grissom instead.

Grissom started at first base with Nolan Schanuel (calf) still out. He had a two-run single in the third inning before a big hit late. With the Angels trailing in the eighth inning, Grissom hit a two-out grand slam. It was his third home run in his last 206 at-bats. He’s hitting .233 with a .687 OPS.

The Guardians are throwing a left-handed pitcher, so Nolan Schanuel will be on the bench, but Zach Neto is also being dropped from the leadoff spot to sixth in the order. Neto is hitting .167/.265/.310 in 11 games since the start of May with a 31 percent strikeout rate, but Grissom is also hitting .188/.257/.344 in 10 games in May with an 11.4 percent strikeout rate. Grissom has been the hotter hitter in the most recent games, going 4-for-13 over the last three games with one home runs, one double, and four RBI. It remains to be seen if this is a consistent change the Angels make because that would put Grissom on the radar in deeper formats.

Grissom’s home run was a 385-foot shot at 103.8 mph for his first of the season. The 25-year-old is 13-for-38 so far this season with five RBI and a 3/6 K/BB ratio. He has played some second base, first base, and third base as the Angels look to get his bat in the lineup a little more while he’s swinging it well.