Red Sox's Marcelo Mayer Sure Sounds Confident He Can Fill in for Trevor Story

Speaking before the Sunday series finale, during which Mayer stayed at second base and Andruw Monasterio took over shortstop for the third day in a row, Mayer expressed confidence in his ability to move to his right and play the infield's most important position, if called upon.

“Obviously, that’s home to me,” Mayer said, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. “That’s where I’ve played my whole life. And we’ve had some discussions, going to get some reps there in practice whenever I can. But wherever Trace (tells) you to play, that’s what it’s going to be, whether it’s short, third, second. I’m just here to help the team.”

Mayer has just three innings under his belt at shortstop in the majors to this point, after spending the majority of his time there as a top prospect. The former first-round pick moves like such a natural in the field that it's hard to see why his game wouldn't adjust at the higher level, but one can never know for sure when it comes to big-league shortstops without seeing it in practice.

It could be significant for the Red Sox to start playing Mayer at short, as questions about Story's long-term future in Boston have gotten loud in light of his poor play early in the season. But Tracy, who still has the interim tag, has to balance those questions with whatever helps win games and dig out of this early-season rut in the standings.