Travis, PawSox take series from Buffalo
First baseman back with PawSox after Boston demotion
PAWTUCKET – In Major League Baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, it stipulates that a player has 72 hours to report to the minors after getting optioned.
Sam Travis barely let 12 hours go by before officially jumping back on the Triple-A saddle. Travis was informed by Red Sox manager John Farrell after last Thursday’s game in New York that he would be the corresponding move for Dustin Pedroia’s activation off the disabled list. By early Friday afternoon, Travis appeared in the home clubhouse at McCoy Stadium.
“Given he was traveling from New York, I thought he would show up, get a workout in, and get going the next day,” PawSox manager Kevin Boles said.
For those in the Red Sox organization who know Travis the best, the idea of the first baseman taking a day to collect his thoughts after being told to head to Pawtucket is far flung. He was back at McCoy, hence there was no need to stash him in the cloud – a term Boles uses whenever referencing a player who gets sent down by Boston and isn’t immediately added to Pawtucket’s roster.
“He shows up, he’s one of the first guys here, and says he’s ready to play,” Boles said. “He said he felt good, got enough sleep, and was good to go.”
After starting just four games and receiving 14 atbats in his first-ever stint with the Red Sox, Travis started for the third time in as many games for the PawSox against Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. Serving as the designated hitter, he struck out three times on Sunday and is now 2-for-10 since rejoining Pawtucket.
After playing the waiting game for much of his time with the Red Sox, Travis returns to the PawSox knowing full well that he doesn’t have to fret about playing time.
“I just love to play,” Travis said. “Even though I wasn’t playing that much [with Boston], I still felt like I was playing every day. I didn’t think much of it because I had to stay ready at all times in case they called my name.”
Even though Travis did a lot of watching from the bench in his 17 days in a Boston uniform, he still managed to contribute when called upon. In limited duty, the 23-year-old batted .471 (8-for-17) with two doubles and two walks. In the end, the Red Sox didn’t want him to become too stale as the result of sporadic game action.
“He’s going to get his at-bats here, but this isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with a player [who returns to Pawtucket after a period of infrequent usage]. Things tend to work out pretty good for a lot of these players,” Boles said. “I do know that we’re all in agreement as far as this bat. It’s got a chance to be a real threat at the major-league level.”
Even though Travis has spent a considerable of time around the Red Sox coaching staff in each of the past two spring trainings, there’s no denying the benefit of engaging in an in-season infield drill package with Brian Butterfield or receiving pregame coaching on his swing from Chili Davis or Victor Rodriguez.
“There’s an argument for getting him a taste even though he wasn’t an everyday player when he arrived there. He got experience and was shown the ropes,” Boles said. “You’re being evaluated at all times and these players know that. It’s good to get a different set of eyes on players and good to see how they handle it as far as that first taste at the highest level. There may be things [the big-league coaches] notice or have different opinions on, or maybe everything is in sync. We want to make sure we can get the most out of the player.”
There’s no denying that Travis achieved an important goal by making his debut with the Red Sox, doing so roughly a year removed from a season-ending ACL injury that limited his first season with the PawSox to just 47 games. The next step is to become a bona fide major leaguer who isn’t subjected to frequent trips on the Pawtucket-to-Boston shuttle.
“It’s an amazing lifestyle. Having that little taste and coming back down, it just makes you want to get back that much more,” Travis said. “You’ve just got to keep working even harder than before because you know what it’s like. It’s unbelievable and nothing is better than that.”
“Getting the debut out of the way, that’s nice. His mission is to be a career big leaguer. That’s what he wants. It’s also realistic for him,” Boles said. “He wants to win games at the big-league level. He wants to win the World Series. That’s just how he’s wired.”
“I just love to play. Even though I wasn’t playing that much [with Boston], I still felt like I was playing every day.” – Sam Travis