Red Sox Call Up Michael Chavis, Tzu-Wei Lin From Pawtucket; Place Eduardo Nunez On IL
BOSTON (CBS) -- Another day, another Red Sox second baseman on the injured list. But it has paved the way for one of the team's top prospects to join the big league club.
Eduardo Nunez has joined Dustin Pedroia on the IL, sidelined with a mid-back sprain (Boston also sent reliever Erasmo Ramírez back to Triple-A). Second baseman Tzu-Wei Lin has been called up from Pawtucket, but he isn't the only one to receive a promotion on Friday.
Michael Chavis, Boston's No. 2, has also been called up and will make his first appearance on an MLB roster when he joins the Red Sox in St. Petersburg. The 23-year-old has shown plenty of pop this season in Triple-A, crushing four homers and two doubles in his 12 games with Pawtucket. He's 10-for-40 overall for the year, but has hit homers in three of his last five games. Chavis has gone 7-for-17 (.412) at the plate in that span.
A first-round pick by Boston in 2014, Chavis has spent most of his career at third base. He's recently put in some work at second, playing the position five times for Pawtucket this season. He had never played the position until this season.
Lin started the season with the Sox, with Pedroia beginning his year on the IL, but only received one at-bat. He slashed 286/.355/.393 in 28 at-bats over seven games with the PawSox, and went 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs in Pawtucket's comeback win over Buffalo on Wednesday night.
The Red Sox, just 6-13 on the season, open a three-game series with the first-place Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night.