BOSTON -- Red Sox infielder Michael Chavis is the definition of a batting cage rat.

For as long as he can remember, his hobby when he isn¡¯t actually playing baseball is to take endless swings in the cage.

In these times of social distancing and most nonessential businesses being closed during the coronavirus pandemic, Chavis has found a fun way to improvise.

He is playing the game of his youth -- Wiffle ball -- and playing it a lot.

Last week, Chavis posted an Instagram video that got more than 32,000 views of him hitting a mammoth homer off his girlfriend Sarah, who features an arsenal heavy on cutters.

¡°She¡¯s a lefty who throws a natural cutter all day,¡± Chavis said. ¡°Even with a normal baseball, she just naturally throws a cutter. She¡¯s been awesome down here too because she¡¯s the one I¡¯ll play catch with.¡±

After the plastic ball landed on a sidewalk across the street from the yard he was hitting at in Fort Myers, Fla., Chavis went into a full home run trot, raising his right arm in triumph as he got to each base. His brother Fuzzy can be heard cheering in the background.

¡°My brother is the one who was taking the video so it¡¯s pretty much just us as a trio going around doing stuff,¡± Chavis said.

Chavis has always been a person who looks for the positives in everything. That mentality has helped him during these trying times.

Is there a certain message he was sending by posting the fun Wiffle ball video on social media?

¡°I guess it kind of was motivational. But it was moreso, just find something fun to do,¡± Chavis said. ¡°I was literally just sitting at home and I was like, ¡®What are some things when I was a kid? What would I do when I would go outside? What did I love playing?¡¯

¡°And I was like, ¡®Wiffle ball was absolutely my go to all the time.¡¯ So I just went on Amazon so I ordered some Wiffle balls, I got some bases, I got a bat. I¡¯m going to tape up the bat and everything. It¡¯s going to be legit.¡±

Chavis knows the trappings people can fall into these days, and he¡¯d like to prevent that for himself and others.

¡°The big thing for me is I¡¯m trying to stay away from screens,¡± Chavis said. ¡°I spend so much time on my phone, or watching TV or playing video games in daily life, I just wanted to change it up and just do something different.¡±

Though Chavis knows better than to join any crowds, he is doing his best to enjoy the Florida weather.

¡°I spend the majority of my days outside right now. Right now, I¡¯m taking a bike ride as I¡¯m talking to you as something to do,¡± Chavis said. ¡°I¡¯ll probably play Wiffle ball later. I¡¯ll go shoot. There¡¯s a basketball hoop around here. We have a golf cart we¡¯ll take for a ride.

¡°Have you ever heard of an Aerobie? It¡¯s like a Frisbee that doesn¡¯t have a middle and you can throw it up to like 1,300 yards. It¡¯s ridiculous. It¡¯s so much fun. I got it for like six bucks at Target. So just doing stuff outside, trying to stay active. Not just to stay in shape but to have something to do.¡±

Chavis had still been able to take batting practice at Fenway South until March 24, when a Red Sox Minor League player tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, the complex has been closed and will remain so for at least another week.

So Wiffle ball it is!

¡°Obviously I can¡¯t just go to somewhere and hit off a pitching machine. Literally the Wiffle ball has kind of become a little bit of my baseball-swinging training,¡± said Chavis. ¡°It sounds like a joke but you can throw curveballs and sliders and just some hand-eye coordination and swinging mechanics and it¡¯s fun. I don¡¯t really know what else I can do. That¡¯s what I have. I¡¯m just trying to make do with what I¡¯ve got.¡±