Jeter Downs Thought ‘The Call’ Was Trade, Not Call-Up To Red Sox

Jeter Downs had a slew of missed calls when he got recalled to the Boston Red Sox because he was taking a nap.

But when he woke up and saw Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy had called him several times, he thought the worst.

“I saw all the calls and thought ‘Am I getting traded again?'” Downs told reporters at Polar Park on Thursday, per MassLive’s Matt Vautour.

It was quite the opposite as Downs got his first taste of Major League Baseball as the Red Sox were without Christian Arroyo (COVID-19) and Kiké Hernández (hip). Downs made his debut in Wednesday’s win over the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park, and even though he went 0-for-4, he still made the most of it.

“It all went so fast. It was the coolest thing ever. You dream of that as a kid. It was so surreal, being in Fenway with so many people,” Downs said. “The constant roar the whole game. If you have any aches and pains, the minute the game starts it goes away. It was magical. It really was. … I wish every player could feel that. The energy, the aura. Playing big-league baseball is different. It’s magical.”

Downs even was wished luck on Twitter by Derek Jeter — his idol and the person he’s named after. So all in all, it was a pretty good day for the 23-year-old.

Downs was optioned back to Triple-A on Thursday.