Red Sox Place Michael Chavis on IL With Shoulder Injury

The Boston Red Sox called up top prospect Michael Chavis in April, and he instantly started mashing his way to a fine rookie season. However, his positive momentum has been derailed all of a sudden thanks to a nasty shoulder injury.

After suffering an acromioclavicular (AC) joint sprain in his shoulder, Chavis was placed on the 10-day IL.

In 95 games, during which time he has become a proper starter at second base for the defending champs, Chavis is hitting .254 with 18 home runs and 58 RBIs for the still-elite Boston offense. August has been rough, however, as he has hit just .156.

In response to his injury, Boston has called up Marco Hernandez from Triple-A Pawtucket. It goes without saying that Hernandez is an inferior offensive option compared to Chavis.

This is not what Boston needed. The Red Sox have long since resigned themselves to eschewing pitching and trying to slug their way to wins in order to keep themselves in the AL Wild Card race, but just lost one of their young stars and key power threats at the bottom of the order.