ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- As he packed for a quick, three-game road trip to Syracuse, New York, on Thursday,
Michael Chavis stared at his bag, then his locker, and again at his bag.
He'd packed too much stuff. He didn't need all those gloves, bats and knickknacks, he thought. Just three T-shirts and a pair of jeans. After all, the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox were scheduled for only three games out of town, just a quick weekend getaway. He figured he'd be back in Pawtucket on Monday.
But a phone call, a turbulent flight, a hectic trip into an airport clothing store and a quick ride to the ballpark later, Chavis found himself standing in front of a locker at Tropicana Field, home of the
Tampa Bay Rays. So he was very much not in Syracuse, let alone Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He was more than 1,300 miles away and not even knowing the day of the week off the top of his head.
"I should've brought all that stuff," Chavis said with a chuckle. "I need that now."
Everything started a little over 24 hours earlier, when Chavis woke up at 10:45 a.m. on Friday in Syracuse to three missed calls from PawSox manager Billy McMillon, who told him he'd been called up to the big leagues. As he began to gather his stuff, Chavis FaceTimed his mom, Dorothy, who immediately began crying. She'd taken up a second job at night to help pay for Chavis' travel baseball as he was growing up.