Jun 11, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Marcelo Mayer (39) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Red Sox Leave Fans in Limbo With Unexpected Marcelo Mayer Scratch

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Mar 15, 2026 12:48 PM ET

With most of the eyes of the baseball community focused on the World Baseball Classic on Sunday, the Boston Red Sox just needed an uneventful day.

Instead, a simple spring training lineup against the Minnesota Twins quickly became a source of anxiety for the fan base. Any fears about ace Garrett Crochet dealing with an injury were quickly quelled by the report that the Red Sox were simply managing his timeline for opening day.

But if Crochet is fine, what's going on with infielder Marcelo Mayer?

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Marcelo Mayer scratched on Sunday; left knee soreness

Chris Cotillo of MassLive was the first to report on Sunday that Mayer had been scratched as the starting second baseman in the lineup versus Minnesota, to be replaced by prospect Mikey Romero. Half an hour quickly passed after Cotillo's report, and then Christopher Smith of MassLive reported that the reason for Mayer's absence was left knee soreness.

Mayer, 23, would seem to have the inside track to winning the starting second-base job against right-handed pitchers, though manager Alex Cora has been clear all spring that the former first-round pick still has to perform well enough all spring to merit inclusion on the opening day roster.

But Red Sox fans have plenty of reason to bristle at any indication that Mayer is dealing with some sort of injury concern. His season ended in late July last year, 44 games into his major league debut, because of a wrist injury that led to surgery.

Mayer has yet to play 100 games in any professional season, having dealt with the same wrist issue in 2022, an inflamed shoulder in 2023, and a lower back problem in 2024.

At this early stage, we don't have too much information to go on. Mayer's knee could be a lingering concern, or by this time next week, we could have forgotten it was ever an issue.

But the Red Sox really can't afford to be missing Mayer for any significant amount of time during the regular season, so this will be a storyline to follow closely for the immediate future.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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