Red Sox Make Marcelo Mayer Decision Amid Alex Bregman Injury

This decision by the front office comes as a bittersweet moment. On one hand, the Red Sox lost one of their best two-way players for a potentially extensive moment. On the other hand, Mayer is a prospect that fans and the league have been begging to see play Major League games. 

Mayer was Boston’s first-round (No. 4 pick overall) in the 2021 MLB Draft. There was a lot of hype for him the instant that the Red Sox selected him.  

Last season for the Red Sox’s Double-A team, Mayer accounted for a career-high .307 batting average, an on-base percentage of .370, 30 runs, 92 hits, eight home runs, 38 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, 30 walks and only 66 strikeouts.  

In his first season for the Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A), Mayer got even better accounting for a batting average of .271, an on-base percentage of .347, 31 runs, 46 hits, nine home runs, 43 RBIs, 20 walks and only 38 strikeouts. He played only 43 games this season as opposed to the 77 games in the AA in 2023. 

While Mayer has more experience playing shortstop, there could be a possibility that he could play third base while Bregman is out. There is also the possibility that Trevor Story will move from shortstop to third base or Abraham Toto could start. Manager Alex Cora only stated that designated hitter Rafael Devers will not play third base.  

Mayer is the second highly touted prospect to make the regular season debut for the Red Sox, only behind second baseman Kristian Campbell. It didn’t take long for Campbell to get his long-term contract extension in his rookie season, perhaps Mayer could be next.