Boston Red Sox: Michael Chavis continues to ‘do damage’ with Sox

Boston Red Sox rookie Michael Chavis continues to be a spark and breath of fresh air for the defending World Series champs.

Coming off a World Series championship, the Boston Red Sox didn’t make any major moves as far as adding outside talent to the team.

Staying pat and bringing back basically the same team that ran through the New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and manger Alex Cora were content with who they had.

It certainly seemed to be the wrong approach with the way the team slept walked through the first few weeks of the season, but an addition from within the organization has sparked the team back to the baseball Red Sox Nation is accustomed to.

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Injuries to Dustin Pedroia and the struggles of Steve Pearce led to the team calling up top prospect Michael Chavis sooner than expected and the rookie has been doing damage ever since.

Not only has he lifted the team with his power, he has shown a gene for being a clutch player as well.  With a game-winning hit already under his belt, Chavis saved his team once again on Wednesday night with a 13th inning go-ahead homer against the Toronto Blue Jays in the team’s 6-5 victory.

It was his 10th homer in just 28 games in the Major Leagues and one that proved this young prospect is ready for big league stardom, especially with his aggressive approach at the plate.

"“Going into that at-bat, I was still trying to do damage, but I wasn’t exactly sitting there like I was trying to hit a home run this time,” Chavis said of his game-winning homer, via MLB.com.  “But I was still trying to do damage.”"

Just like the slogan “do damage” defined the entire team in 2018, it is certainly defining the young career of Michael Chavis so far in 2019.  Like any young player, however, his readiness will really be put to the test when teams start adjusting to him.  We have seen both Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi go through struggles after taking the Major Leagues by storm.  So how Chavis responds when he goes through a slump will really say a lot about the heights of his MLB career.

Here to stay

With his versatility in the field and his big bat, Michael Chavis is solidifying his spot on the team.

As an emotional and offensive spark, how could Alex Cora ever send him back down once Brock Holt and Dustin Pedroia return?

When asked about Chavis and his long-term role with the team, Cora refused to publicly commit to keeping the young slugger on the Boston Red Sox roster.

"“Let’s wait for that,” Cora said, as transcribed by MassLive.com.  “When we have to make a decision, we’ll talk about that one.”"

That was prior to the Houston Astros series, so Cora has certainly seen a little more of what Chavis can do in clutch situations since then.  But, while he has to remain coy as a manager, there is no way the team can send Michael Chavis back to Pawtucket unless he goes on some major colossal slump.

With how the team has stuck it out with other young players like Rafael Devers, it would be in the best interest of the team to have the same patience with a player who is doing damage and has slugged them back to over .500.

If and when everyone is back and healthy, it is veterans like Steve Pearce, Eduardo Nunez, Brock Holt or even Dustin Pedroia who may be on the chopping block for the Boston Red Sox.

As for now, Michael Chavis has made baseball fun again throughout Red Sox Nation.