BOSTON -- Some players find out they are called up to the Majors, well, by a phone call. That wasn’t quite the situation for Chris Owings.

“I was running out to left field and everybody was kind of yelling at me,” Owings said. “I had actually thought somebody had got thrown out of the game, so they wanted me to change positions. I come back in the dugout and everybody was kind of giving me high fives.”

Owings was mid-game for Triple-A Pawtucket in Toledo, Ohio, when the news came in from the Red Sox on Saturday. From there, Owings was driven to Detroit for his flight Sunday morning. He arrived around midnight, woke up at 3:50 a.m., took a 5:45 plane to Boston and landed at 7:15. Owings went directly to Fenway Park for the 1:05 p.m. game against the Angels, where manager Alex Cora told him he not only was starting at second base against the Angels -- he was batting leadoff since Mookie Betts was out of the starting lineup to rest.

“It’ll be nice to get some sleep tonight in Cleveland, for sure,” Owings said, as the Red Sox play the Indians on Monday.

The callup is the latest “up” in Owings’ up-and-down season. He signed a one-year, $3 million deal (plus $500,000 in performance bonuses) with the Royals in December. But he hit just .133 over 40 games for Kansas City, and was designated for assignment on May 31. Owings was released on June 4.

The Red Sox signed Owings to a Minor League deal two weeks later and assigned him to Pawtucket. He then went on a six-game home run tear from July 20-26, breaking free from his early-season struggles.

“Obviously, it was a rough first two months,” Owings said. “Once I got that phone call and I got let go from KC, I just really took some time and figured out what I needed to do differently. The past two years have been a little tough, so kind of went back to the drawing board. I think some of the results have paid off, the way I’ve been swinging the bat recently. Just kind of maybe understanding my swing a little bit better and getting in a consistent groove.”

Owings was hitting .325/.385/.595 with a .980 OPS in 44 games in Triple-A before being promoted to the Red Sox, tallying 34 RBIs, 26 runs, 11 home runs and 11 doubles. Even though he was batting leadoff on Sunday, Cora envisions him adding a boost to the bottom half of the lineup and providing roster versatility.

“He can play the outfield, he can play the infield,” Cora said. “Right-handed hitter, he can run a little bit. So we have options.”

Sunday’s finale wasn’t the first go-around at Fenway Park for Owings, who turns 28 years old on Monday. He was a first-round pick by the Diamondbacks in 2009, and made his Major League debut in September of 2013. Owings had played three games in Boston, with four hits in 10 at-bats.

Additional roster moves

The Red Sox optioned right-hander Hector Velázquez to Triple-A after Saturday's game to clear room on the 25-man roster. Velazquez was called up Thursday when David Price (wrist) went on the 10-day injured list. He allowed two runs over two innings of relief in two games against the Angels in this series.

The team also transferred Steve Pearce to the 60-day IL to make space on the 40-man roster. Pearce is rehabbing from a partially torn PCL in his left knee. He was with the Red Sox on Saturday, but there is no timetable for his return. He is not yet cleared to run.