Red Sox activate infielder Vaughn Grissom, option Bobby Dalbec to Worcester

More reinforcements are on the way for the Red Sox: Vaughn Grissom is set for his Boston debut after beginning the year on the injured list.

Grissom, a second baseman, was acquired by the Red Sox in December as part of the Chris Sale trade with the Atlanta Braves. He suffered a hamstring injury in spring training that kept him off the Opening Day roster.

Prior to his activation on Friday, Grissom got a nine-game rehab stint in Worcester, where he batted .333 in 30 at-bats. The 23-year-old has played in 64 major league games, and holds a .287 batting average in the MLB.

Grissom was initially slated for his season debut earlier in the week, but caught the flu forcing the timeline to shift back a few days.

"It's been a long road. Me, the training staff, everybody's been working to get to this point. So, it's really exciting and I'm just glad to be ready," Grissom told reporters before the game. "Definitely don't have all my stamina back, energy's good though, just trying to take it pitch by pitch."

As for Dalbec, the 28-year-old still hasn't quite found his footing at the major league level. He got opportunities when the Red Sox infield caught the injury bug, but in 22 games he holds a .132 batting average.

To Dalbec's credit, he's fared far better at the plate in recent outings, batting .286 in his last seven games. Still, his recent success wasn't enough to keep him in Boston once Grissom was ready to play.

Grissom is starting at second base against the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.

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