Troublemakers reunite!: Vaughn Grissom returns to Braves lineup

Vaughn Grissom should make his season debut with the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.

Troublemakers of the world unite and takeover, as Vaughn Grissom is about to make his triumphant return to the Atlanta Braves’ starting lineup on Friday evening vs. the Kansas City Royals.

Although centerfielder Michael Harris II will need to come off IL first with his nagging back, Atlanta’s youth movement from a year ago should be a huge boost for a team that has been bitten bad by the injury bug. With starting shortstop Orlando Arcia having to go on IL with a fractured left wrist, Grissom will be thrust into duty on Atlanta’s 25-man roster. Arcia had been playing so well…

Once Braden Shewmake got the start last night at Triple-A Gwinnett and Grissom was deemed a healthy scratch, we knew what move the Braves were going to make to counterbalance Arcia going down once again.

Fate would have it, Grissom got called up to the show last year when Arcia pulled his hamstring.

Atlanta Braves get Vaughn Grissom back into the lineup at the perfect time

Despite many key pieces dropping like flies, Atlanta is 9-4 on the year and is tied for the best record in the National League with the Milwaukee Brewers. Even if the Tampa Bay Rays are hotter than the sun over in the Junior Circuit, Atlanta sitting comfortably above .500 with the amount of attrition it has suffered is commendable. Three of their four losses came to the San Diego Padres.

The good news for Atlanta is Grissom’s bat can help offset losing Arcia’s hot start the plate, while he works his way back from a busted wrist. However, Arcia did beat out Grissom and Shewmake for the starting role at short because of his glove. The drop-off from Dansby Swanson to Arcia defensively has not been noticed. Unfortunately, that might be a thing with Grissom taking over.

While Grissom quickly became a fan favorite for all of Braves Country last summer, he essentially got benched down the stretch once his bat cooled off. Atlanta still has veteran utilityman Ehire Adrianza on the roster, but he has played sparingly up to this point. Factor in Ozzie Albies not being quite right after his injury-plagued 2022, as he could be one play from going on IL again.

Ultimately, Grissom needs to provide a spark quickly in Kansas City because the two series after that will be very difficult for Atlanta: At San Diego for three and then back to The Battery with the Houston Astros coming to town next weekend. Given that rebuilding Kansas City is 4-9 on the season, Atlanta needs to find a way to take two-of-three before venturing to sunny San Diego.

Look for Grissom to make his presence felt in the Atlanta lineup at some point over the weekend.