The Boston Red Sox had a massive call-up this week, leading to a lot of buzz surrounding their entire minor league system.
As everyone knows by now, there was a major call-up this week for the Boston Red Sox. I’m of course talking about Sandy Leon. Wait, no it was Tzu-Wei Lin. No, still wrong – it was Bobby Poyner.
Okay, in all seriousness – the major call-up was Michael Chavis, the number one overall prospect in the Red Sox system.
Leon was brought back to the team, with Blake Swihart getting the unceremonious ax. Poyner is with the team now as well and could be for a while with Nathan Eovaldi injured.
Then there’s Lin and Chavis. Second base is in shambles (for the second year in a row). Dustin Pedroia and Eduardo Nunez landed themselves on the IL with Brock Holt already on there. That led to those two getting the call, with Chavis being a surprise to most.
Everyone should play a role in the success of the team. Lin is an excellent defender and great base runner. He brings value in a lot of different ways.
Poyner struggled in his first outing with Boston this year, but he’s a superb bullpen arm. He gives the Red Sox a left-handed reliever and if given time to prove himself could definitely earn a full-time spot.
Finally, there’s Chavis. For most of his minor league career, he’s been a third baseman. He took up first base in 2018 though. All of a sudden, he started playing second base this year. It made sense as Boston’s had issues at the position for a few years now.
While many were skeptical, he’s looked solid at second so far. People tend to forget he was a shortstop when drafted in 2014 – so the middle infield isn’t exactly “new” to him.
It’s not his defense the Red Sox are excited about anyways. Chavis has as legitimate of a bat as you can get. He’s got potential to hit for a solid average while absolutely crushing the ball and driving in runs. So far, he’s 1-for-5 with a double and a walk. The right-handed hitter will likely get a lot of opportunities though.