FORT MYERS, Fla. – After a rough 2023 for their middle infield, the Red Sox aren’t rushing the development of their new second baseman.

“He’s in a good spot,” manager Alex Cora said of Vaughn Grissom. “I think from my end, the most important thing is getting him up to par defensively.”

Grissom spent his first full week at JetBlue Park working on fundamentals: footwork, hands, double plays.

“We’re taking it easy with him as far as like, getting his footsteps down and working his hands,” Cora said. “He’s playing catch and all that, but we’re trying to get his hands, his footwork and hands, where they’re supposed to be.”

The 23-year-old infielder is working with Andy Fox, “just to get him, like I said, up to speed with the position,” Cora said.

Second base is a crucial spot, and lack of stability at the position hurt the Red Sox immensely last season.

“Starting double plays, turning double plays, those are game-changers. It’s a lot of momentum,” Cora said. “You turn a double play, we’re in a good spot. We don’t turn it, they’re in a great spot… We want to make sure he gets that and no doubt about it, I have no concerns that, I know he’s going to be able to play second base at a high level.”

As a former utility infielder himself, including six seasons in Boston, Cora knows firsthand how different second base is from shortstop.

The biggest adjustment between the two is “the turn,” he said. “The 4-6-3 (double play). For me, it was very difficult after being on the other side. Everything is going to the left, left, left and all of a sudden, I gotta make a play to my right.”

How long did it take him to make the adjustment? “Like, five minutes,” the manager joked.

“I used to get stuck, so instead of turning my feet completely, I would flip it,” he said. “I got this one down pretty easy, but it felt so awkward. Angles too, there are certain balls that, they look, off the bat they’re a little bit challenging … but I think he’ll be fine. He played second last year.”

Unfortunately, Dustin Pedroia won’t be paying a visit to Sox camp this spring. The four-time Gold Glove second baseman, listed at 5-foot-9 on Baseball-Reference, is “exactly” the same body type as the 6-2 Grissom, Cora joked.

“Actually, we should call the second baseman of the Padres,” he added, alluding to Xander Bogaerts’ new position.

Grissom’s bat is also a work in progress, but he’s impressed the Sox skipper thus far.

“He’s been putting good swings,” his new manager said on Wednesday. “In live BP (on Tuesday), he took somebody deep to right-center, (Lucas) Giolito. He has some juice, but we want him to be a complete hitter. I think the power will come with more repetitions, but what he has right now, we like.”

Though he’d prefer to have those home runs come when the games start to count, “any home run on any field ever, it can be WII Sports, it could be wiffle-ball, it could be anything, and it feels good,” he told the Herald.

“It was 3-0, so obviously a fastball’s coming, but he was like, ‘Hey! Got that one, didn’t you?” he recalled with a chuckle. He was impressed by Giolito’s two-inning performance. “I’m grateful I had success against him. He got everyone else, I think.”

“He’s a good hitter,” Cora reiterated after another live BP on Thursday, in which Grissom got a hit off Brandon Walter. “He understands what he needs to do. Obviously, we would love him to hit for power, but at the same time, we gotta be careful with that. I think the power will be part of it with more at-bats, more experience, and him getting stronger, but right now I like the hitter, I like the player … that’s good enough.”

“Experience and just repetition, that’s really gonna be the thing for me,” Grissom agreed with his manager.

He’s excited and motivated to earn his place in a talented Red Sox infield.

“We got a good group,” he said. “The left side’s solid, with Trevor (Story) and Devvy (Rafael Devers) over there, it’s looking good, and Casas is a huge target over (at first base). So, I guess it’s up to me.”