MLB Insider: How the Atlanta Braves will likely address the shortstop position

Entering spring training, the Atlanta Braves hoped Vaughn Grissom would be their everyday shortstop. That has not gone according to plan.

Entering spring training, Vaughn Grissom was seemingly penned into the Atlanta Braves‘ Opening Day shortstop role. He had trained with Braves’ third base coach Ron Washington, who praised him for his defensive work throughout the offseason.

But the Braves demoted Grissom to Triple-A — along with 2019 first-round pick Braden Shewmake — and with Opening Day less than two weeks away, the shortstop position is easily the team’s biggest question mark.

Orlando Arcia is penciled in as their primary option, but he’s coming off a season in which he hit only .244/.316/.416 with nine home runs and 30 RBI in 234 plate appearances, a far cry from what Dansby Swanson produced at the position.

So what are the Braves going to do?

Insider reveals Braves plan at shortstop after optioning Vaughn Grissom

The most likely option, at least for now, is that they roll with Arcia until Grissom is ready. The organization remains very high on Grissom despite the demotion. He’s only 22 and hit .291/.353/.440 with five home runs in 141 plate appearances last season. The luxury of having the veteran Arcia is that the Braves didn’t need to rush Grissom into a prominent role on the major-league roster and can allow him to develop in a low-pressure environment in Triple-A at the start of the season.

It is possible that general manager Alex Anthopoulos explores the trade market for shortstop help. Atlanta showed interest earlier in the offseason in Brewers shortstop Willy Adames, but Milwaukee has shown no willingness to trade the emerging star. Perhaps another option could be Yankees shortstop Isaih Kiner-Falifa, who should come relatively cheap via trade.

But the most likely option for the Braves remains rolling with Arcia until Grissom is ready. It’s not what the organization had in mind headed into spring training, but Grissom figures to be contributing at the major-league level before too long.