Boston Red Sox: Three up, three down after month of April

One of the bright spots in the cloudy start to Boston’s 2019 campaign has been the long-awaited and much-anticipated debut of top prospect Michael Chavis. The 23-year-old wasted no time giving fans what they wanted; in his very first at-bat, he ripped a double in a 6-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. While he went 0-4 in each of his next two games, he refused to stay down for long.

By the end of the season’s first full month, Chavis notched his first three career home runs and eight RBI. He finished April hitting .313, which would have put him in second on the team if he had enough at-bats, and amassed an elite 1.061 OPS.

While we should temper our expectations for the rest of the season, there is still no reason for anything but optimism. All rookies struggle; it’s simply a part of growing into the Majors. Chavis will certainly have his ups and downs, and will probably regress somewhat. However, he’s done enough to demonstrate that he absolutely has the tools to succeed at this level. He’s added a spark to Boston’s offense already and will be given all the time and support he needs to continue his development.

In the field, Chavis has been just as valuable. Though a natural third baseman, he’s spent most of his young career at second, helping to alleviate the losses of Eduardo Nunez and, sadly, Dustin Pedroia to injury. His versatility and strong play have already earned him the starting job in the middle of the infield. Once Pedroia’s excellent career finally comes to an end, Chavis could be in line to succeed him. The hot corner is occupied by Devers, who isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and Chavis needs a home. If he proves he can handle second over the course of a full season, the transition will likely become permanent. For now, we can just sit back and enjoy his promising start.