Boston’s Chavis goes on IL; Puig and Garrett start bans
Michael Chavis played through the pain for as long as he could.
On Monday, the Boston rookie finally gave in.
The Red Sox placed Chavis on the 10day injured list with a left shoulder sprain sustained recently while trying to make a diving catch.
One of the AL’s top firstyear players, Chavis has 18 homers and 58 RBIs, second most to Mets first baseman Pete Alonso among rookies. Chavis has been in a slump, batting .156 (5for32) in his past 11 games, and the shoulder injury explains his slide.
“It stinks,” said Chavis, adding the pain is most severe when he swings. “I want to be out there and help the team, but if I can’t do my part, it’s tough.”
Boston manager Alex Cora didn’t want to put a timetable on Chavis’ return. He won’t swing a bat for five or six days.
“It makes sense for him to get healthy,” Cora said. “He tried to play through it. It’s one of those things we have to manage now.”
The Red Sox also recalled righthander Travis Lakins and infielder Marco Hernandez from TripleA Pawtucket. Puig drops appeal: Cleveland outfielder Yasiel Puig has dropped the appeal for his threegame suspension for his involvement in a brawl when he was with Cincinnati.
Puig began serving his ban Monday night when the Indians won their series opener against Boston, pushing them a halfgame ahead of the Twins for first place in the AL Central. Puig is 15for42 (.357) with one homer and six RBIs in 11 games for Cleveland.
Puig, 28, was disciplined for his involvement in the latest benchesclearing incident between the Reds and Pirates on July 30. The fracas began minutes after Puig was dealt to the Indians in a threeteam trade. Garrett also begins ban: From the same brawl that got Puig banned, Cincinnati lefthander Amir Garrett started serving his eightgame suspension for charging from the mound toward the Pittsburgh dugout. “It’s a long time. … I have confidence in my teammates that they will get the job done,” Garrett said. The Reds have only 24 players during the ban. Briefly: The Diamondbacks purchased the contract of prospect Josh Rojas from TripleA Reno. He was acquired last month in the deal that sent righthander Zack Greinke to the Astros. To make room on the roster, Arizona designated utilityman Blake Swihart for assignment . ... Washington’s Max Scherzer is expected to throw a simulated game Tuesday as he tries to get closer to returning from a back muscle injury . ... Former Toronto shortstop Freddy Galvis was claimed on waivers by Cincinnati. Outfielder Billy McKinney was recalled from TripleA Buffalo to take Galvis’ spot with the Blue Jays.