WooSox Photo/Ashley Green / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Red Sox Veteran Ace Makes Massive Admission About Marcelo Mayer

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated May 27, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox made the right decision by calling up Marcelo Mayer, but that doesn't guarantee the team or the youngster will find success.

Mayer is a 22-year-old from California, and if one thing has been for certain over the past few years in Major League Baseball, coming up and performing at the highest level as a rookie is nearly impossible.

There hasn't been a bigger gap between Triple-A and the show in quite some time, and Mayer in the Red Sox should understand that.

But there are some things that Mayer will be able to control, and according to right-hander Walker Buehler, that's exactly what he's done. Buehler said that he has a great brain and that he’ll get comfortable in Boston.

“Special kid," Buehler said, per Mass Live. "Really, really good brain. I think he’s going to get really comfortable here really quickly. And I think we’re all looking forward to that. The cost of it right now for our team (he's here because of Bregman's injury), I don’t know if that’s how anyone would have kind of drawn it up. But I think for him pressure’s probably a good thing in terms of the personality.

"He reminds me a lot of how I was when I was that age. And that pressure stuff I think brings out the best in you if you’re kind of built the right way. So throw him into the fire and kind of see what happens."

Receiving this type of comment from a veteran like Buehler goes to show the kind of player Mayer could eventually become.

If there's been one player on the Red Sox who understands what it takes to win at the highest level, it's Buehler. He was part of a winning organization with the Los Angeles Dodgers and had lofty expectations after being drafted.

Hopefully, Mayer will have similar success to the Vanderbilt product.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: