FORT MYERS, Fla. – Vaughn Grissom is going to be given every chance to become Boston’s second baseman, but his new manager gave him some high praise on Thursday when he compared the newcomer to his former shortstop.

“He’s physical, he’s physical,” Alex Cora said of Vaughn, whom the Red Sox acquired from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Chris Sale and cash considerations. “There was a physical shortstop here in 2013, and he grew into what he is right now.”

Guess who?

“I think body-wise, if you compare Vaughn and Xander (Bogaerts), they’re very similar,” the Sox skipper assessed. “Actually, probably he’s a little stronger at this stage (than) when Xander was 23. So, hopefully he can get stronger and be as good (a) player as Xander is.”

“We saw how tall and how far he can hit the ball two years ago,” Cora said, referring to Grissom hitting a towering home run over the Green Monster in his Major League debut with the Braves.

Grissom played some shortstop in his first two years in the Majors, but on his new team that job belongs to Trevor Story, so second base it is. Cora’s spring training plan for success at second boils down to two key elements: repetition and double plays.

“Getting him repetitions at second base is the most important thing,” the Sox skipper said. “We know he can play short, we know he can stand at third base, but I do believe 95% of his innings in spring training, maybe more, are going to be at second.”

“We have to make sure he can turn double plays, which is the most important thing,” he added. “I think double plays are momentum builders and killers.”

“He’s a good defender,” Cora lauded. “I know he has his struggles at shortstop in the past, but where he’s going to play, we do believe he’s going to be okay.

“I’m very excited about him.”

Spring training tidbits: Feb. 15

FORT MYERS, Fla. – After Chris Martin spoke about constantly hearing Kenley Jansen playing his bass guitar through hotel room walls last year, the veteran closer gave the Herald a list of his favorite tunes. “Easy,” by the Commodores topped the list. Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” is another. He also enjoys strumming some Brian McKnight.

Jansen has been taking lessons for over half a decade, including over three years at the Torrance Arts Academy during his Dodgers days. He owns five bass guitars, including a four-string gifted to him by the Red Sox when he joined the 400 Saves club last May. A true multi-hyphenate, he also plays piano.

Marcelo Mayer and Masataka Yoshida were among the new arrivals at JetBlue Park on Thursday.