Chavis feels he's in right place with Bucs

PITTSBURGH -- When 4 p.m. ET rolled around on July 30 and no one had come up to let him know anything to the contrary, Michael Chavis figured he was going to remain a Red Sox player beyond the Trade Deadline.

However, a few minutes later, Chavis got word that he’d been traded to the Pirates, and he got a call from a Boston-area phone number.

“I’m like, ‘OK, it must have to do with being let go by the Red Sox,'” Chavis said. "He says, 'Hey, it’s Ben Cherington with the Pirates.'

“And I’m like, ‘My guy! How are we doing?'"

Why so hyped up? Cherington was the general manager for the Red Sox when they selected Chavis in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft. Now, Chavis begins his second chapter in the Majors, as he was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis by the Bucs ahead of Monday’s 6-5 win over the D-backs.

With Boston, Chavis made his MLB debut in April 2019, and he was hot for his first week’s worth of games. However, things began to sputter offensively, and for a team like the Red Sox, with whom expectations can be very high for players, he didn’t get much consistent playing time this season after posting a .636 OPS in 42 games in 2020.

Maybe a change of scenery wasn’t exactly needed, but Chavis said the main thing he wants is another opportunity, and he’s getting one with the Pirates, who acquired him for left-hander Austin Davis.

“I think it does feel right,” Chavis said of the move. “I can't really say enough about how nice it is just to feel wanted. I think all of us can attest to the fact that just being wanted is a nice thing. So coming in and immediately guys reaching out to me and saying, 'Hey, I'm happy that you're here,' because I'm thrilled to be here as well.”

Chavis has played like he’s happy to be with the Pirates already. In 17 games at Triple-A, the 26-year-old put on a display of power, hitting five doubles and five homers to fuel an .852 OPS.

Part of the positive results came down to simplifying things and trying to soak in what his coaches were working on with him. But Chavis said a little positivity and a few open arms can also make it easy to just focus on the game at hand.

“Having those results show up was definitely pretty nice, and I think a big part of it was the guys have been so welcoming from the first moment I got there,” Chavis said, “from the staff to the other players to everything in between. It's been a great transition and I've been very pleased with how things have gone.”

“He's been playing in Indy and doing a nice job,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “Now, it's just getting him acclimated to the big leagues in Pittsburgh and our culture, and our coaching staff.”

Chavis went 0-for-4 batting seventh and played second base, where he says he’s most comfortable, in the series opener against the D-backs. But he’ll play anywhere if it means he gets a chance to play and prove he’s still got the same potential as when he was a Top 100 Prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

“I've played every day since I got here, and I couldn't ask for more,” Chavis said. “At the end of the day, what I love doing is playing baseball. That's why I'm here, and just getting the opportunity to play in the lineup every single day and show what I can do, that's all I can ask for.”