Notes: Chavis back up; Workman returns

Rather than risk being short-handed on the bench, the Red Sox placed Kiké Hernández on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain prior to Friday’s game against the Orioles at Camden Yards.

Hernández suffered the injury sliding into second on a double in Thursday’s 12-9 win over the Tigers at Fenway Park.

Infielder Michael Chavis, who played for the Red Sox in 2019 and '20, was recalled from Triple-A Worcester to take Hernández’s spot on the roster.

Christian Arroyo is also ailing after being hit on the left wrist by a pitch for the second time this season on Wednesday. His availability is limited, which played a role in Boston making a roster move Friday.

Manager Alex Cora hopes that Arroyo will be ready to start by Sunday.

Hernández has been Boston’s primary leadoff man this season and has been valuable with his defensive versatility, spending most of his time in center field and second base.

Marwin Gonzalez got the first shot to lead off in Hernández’s absence. Gonzalez had 37 career plate appearances in the leadoff slot entering Friday’s game, slashing .333/.459/.433.

“I told him, ‘Just be Rickey Henderson today and hit home runs.’ His on-base percentage against righties has been solid,” Cora said. “I know the numbers are not there, but it’s kind of like a long at-bat with him all the time. It’s a grind.”

Chavis is also versatile, with the ability to play first, second and third.

Workman back with original team
Brandon Workman had the best days and years of his career playing for the Red Sox. So perhaps it makes sense that Boston is the team he will try to regain his form with.

The Red Sox signed Workman to a Minor League deal on Thursday. He will start at Worcester and try to pitch his way back to Boston.

Workman was dominant for the Red Sox in 2019 (1.88 ERA in 73 outings) and was traded to the Phillies last Aug. 21.

He struggled mightily for the Phillies (6.92 ERA in 14 appearances) and signed with the Cubs as a free agent on Feb. 18. Workman couldn’t find it in Chicago, either, notching a 6.75 ERA in 10 games before getting released.

“I texted with him a few days ago. Just thanking him for giving us a chance and told him to just get to work,” Cora said Friday. “And he feels good about it. Obviously, it didn’t go well in the second half last year, and it didn’t go well with the Cubs. There’s a few things that we recognize with our information department that hopefully he can regain, and he can become a factor.”

The Red Sox have had some inconsistency from the lower-leverage members of their 14-man pitching staff. Workman certainly could provide a boost if he can get back on track.

A key for Workman will be to get some of his velocity back so there will be enough of a differential with his offspeed pitches.

“I saw his last one against the Braves [on April 27], and he threw a lot of breaking balls,” Cora said. “He threw some good ones and some bad ones. I think with him, velocity is very important because the shape of the breaking ball and the spin, it’s usually the same. It’s still a good breaking ball, but if he doesn’t have something else to separate, he becomes a one-pitch pitcher and game-planning comes into play. His cutter, too, is part of the equation. We have to get him back and get [him] some confidence, too.”

In his first stint with the Red Sox, Workman was part of World Series-winning teams in 2013 and ’18. Boston drafted him as a starter as a second-round pick from the University of Texas in '10.