Did Red Sox strike gold with Grady Sizemore signing?

Grady Sizemore gets greeted by his teammates after launching a HR in the fourth inning. (Patrick Semansky/AP)

Playing in his first regular-season game since September of 2011, Grady Sizemore did not miss a beat in the Boston Red Sox’s 2-1 opening day loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Sizemore, suiting up for a non-exhibition contest for the first time in 922 days, went 2-for-4 with a single and a home run, accounting for the Red Sox’s only run of the day.

After singling off the Orioles’ Chris Tillman in his first plate appearance, Sizemore led off the fourth by crushing a 3-1 cutter over the right field fence of Camden Yards for a home run. The homer was the 31-year-old’s first since September 15, 2011, coming against none other than the right-hander Tillman, when Sizemore was a member of the Cleveland Indians.

“Today was very exciting. I couldn't wait to get to the ballpark,” Sizemore told reporters after Monday’s contest, per CBSBoston.com. “I was up first thing in the morning and definitely had a better appreciation for the game and all the little things that go into it. I think every day I’ve been here since spring training has been gratifying. I’m just happy to be back, happy to be healthy, looking forward to getting the opportunity to play and help contribute.”

Sizemore provided the Red Sox with its only offensive spark in the season-opener that saw the defending World Series champions strand a whopping 24 men on base.

Seven surgeries in a three-year span is enough reason to not get overly excited by the superb debut of Sizemore. Yet, the three-time All-Star has already put MLB on notice with his commendable play in his return to the league, becoming an early feel good story for the 2014 season.

“You’ve been gone for so long,” said Sizemore, per the Boston Globe. “You step in there, your first one, just have a good at-bat. Not necessarily get a hit, but just hit the ball hard, and it felt good.”

The center field position was viewed as potential hole for the Red Sox after Jacoby Ellsbury defected to the New York Yankees on a massive seven-year, $153 million deal. However, Sizemore dazzled the Sox this spring, giving the team hope at center field for the upcoming year.

Sizemore passed all the tests of spring training, never once reporting the slightest bit of pain or soreness, even after making diving catches and crashing into walls like he was once accustomed to doing. His ability to sacrifice his body for the team in games that did not even count in the standings was a fresh of breath air for the Sox, given how the departed Ellsbury was infamous for milking his trips on the disabled list until he was fully healthy.

Is it a stretch to assert the Sox upgraded their center field position with the addition of Sizemore? Maybe, but there is no denying that Sizemore was a better all-around talent in his heydays than Ellsbury in his respective prime (whether the Yankees’ outfielder has seen his best days is a mystery soon to be unraveled), and if Sizemore could return anything close to his old form, the Sox will not rue letting Ellsbury walk in the offseason.

Could Sizemore outperform Ellsbury in 2014? The fact that the question is even a realistic possibility speaks volumes to the strides taken by Sizemore in his comeback. Not bad for a guy that has a base salary of $750,000 for the upcoming season.