Michael Chavis hit a patch of turbulence on his path to his major league debut with the Red Sox on Saturday. No, not the 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. The turbulence that rocked the small jet he flew on from Syracuse to Detroit during his 1,300-mile mad dash to make Boston’s game against Tampa Bay on Friday night.
On Thursday, Chavis packed a light bag for what he thought would be a short three-game road trip with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox to Syracuse, New York. He woke up Friday morning in Syracuse to three missed calls from PawSox manager Billy McMillon, who told him he’d been called up to the big leagues, according to ESPN’s Joon Lee.