It certainly has been one wild season for Michael Chavis.
The Boston Red Sox rookie soared up to the major leagues much earlier than some anticipated after hitting his way onto the big-league club in April. Following his call-up, the infielder was a revelation at the plate, mashing on a consistent basis and earning himself the nickname “Ice Horse.”
But that electric start was followed with some pretty notable ups and downs, predictable for a young hitter in his first stint in the majors, with pitchers figuring out the 24-year-old.
Chavis hit the injured list on Aug. 11 with a sprain of the AC joint in his left shoulder. He was batting .156 in August when he hit the shelf, and just .221 since the All-Star break.
Chavis currently is on rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket, his first stint back in the minors since he became a rookie sensation in Boston. Between the crazy start, the drop off and his first big-league injury, the infielder has run the gauntlet, but he seems to be taking it all in stride and chalking it up as a learning experience.
“It’s been fun. There’s been a bump in the road, but I’ve enjoyed it. Weirdly I’ve enjoyed the struggle because it’s given me an opportunity to learn,” Chavis told WEEI’s Rob Bradford during his rehab stint. “That’s weird to say because struggling sucks, but I have enjoyed it.”
He’s also come to appreciate the difference between Triple-A and the majors.
“It’s different. It definitely is. In the big leagues. One of the first things I realized is that everything matters,” he said. “Every play, every pitch matters. That’s one of the things you have to adjust to. It was really easy to kind of get overwhelmed with too much information, the attention to detail. The everyday aspect of it. Trying to learn as much as I can while staying true to myself because there is so much information, there are so many veteran players, there are so many experienced coaches and there are so many players I’m playing against I want to learn from.
“There are so many people I want to learn from. Even on the pitching staff I want to learn how pitchers think, how they work, learn how I’m perceived by other teams. Me hitting three-hole in Triple-A the way I’m perceived is going to be completely different me hitting eight-hole in the big leagues. Even though I’m the same player, it’s different. So there is a lot to learn.”
