Michael Chavis doesn’t know which position he will play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, given that he has played games at first, second and third base and even right field since being acquired from Boston last July.

So long as he is in the lineup, Chavis is happy.

“My preference is to play second, but my favorite thing to do in the world is hit,” Chavis said. “I think that’s going to be one of the main things. Hitting is definitely my strength.”

Problem was, Chavis hadn’t been hitting much in spring training. That changed Saturday afternoon, when he homered off Nathan Eovaldi in the fourth inning of a 7-2 win over the Red Sox in a Grapefruit League game at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Fla.

The Pirates had a spring-best 13 hits and got solid pitching from starter JT Brubaker, who gave up three hits and three walks with two strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

It was a good game for Chavis to break out of his spring slump, as he went 2 for 4 to boost his batting average to .208 (5 for 24). He has more strikeouts (eight) than hits and walks combined (six). That’s been disappointing for Chavis, a 2014 first-round pick by the Red Sox whose bat is his calling card after hitting .357 in 12 games for the Pirates.

“Not in arrogant way, I think I’m a talented hitter,” Chavis said. “It’s one of the things God blessed me with. I’m good at hitting. It’s not simply my approach that makes me a good hitter. There’s a lot of things that go into it, and I work really hard at it. That’s why I’m confident in saying that I’m a good hitter.”

Finding a position on the field is another story. Selected as a shortstop, Chavis bounced around Boston’s infield before being traded to the Pirates for lefty reliever Austin Davis last summer at the deadline.

Chavis batted .364 (8 for 22) with two doubles and a homer in his first six games before suffered a right elbow strain while diving to attempt to make a catch in right field against the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 28.

“It was pretty disappointing,” Chavis said. “I felt like I was playing pretty well when it happened. It was my first time playing right field, as well, so in hindsight I guess I dove for a ball that I had no business trying to get to. I just saw it and thought I might be able to get there but didn’t. It’s one of those unlucky things. I’m excited to get going and playing consistently and showing what I’m capable of doing.”

The Pirates like Chavis for his bat and his versatility, as he can play the infield, outfield or even serve as a designated hitter. Two of the players he’s competing with for a utility role also had big games.

Diego Castillo hit a two-run homer off Eovaldi in the sixth inning, his fifth homer of the spring and fourth in his past eight at bats. Only New York Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka (seven) has more. Hoy Park hit a leadoff double in the sixth and has now hit safely in six of his seven games. Park is batting .300 (6 for 20) with two homers and two RBIs.

And two players who have been reassigned to minor league camp also had two hits, as Nick Gonzales had an RBI double in the seventh and Matt Fraizer had RBI singles in the sixth and eighth.

Notes: Mitch Keller is scheduled to start against Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen when the Pirates play their final home game of spring training at 1:05 p.m. Sunday at LECOM Park in Bradenton. … The Pirates optioned right-hander Adonis Medina, who was claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies, to Triple-A Indianapolis. They reassigned righty reliever Austin Brice to minor league camp. There are now 39 active players (20 pitchers) in camp.

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