The Boston Red Sox sure would like to have Marcelo Mayer for the upcoming stretch run, but baseball isn't always fair.
For the fourth straight season, Mayer is being forced to bow out early due to injury. He had a wrist issue in 2022, a shoulder problem in 2023, a lower back flare-up last year, and now, the same wrist, which flared up in a July game on a swing against the Philadelphia Phillies, necessitated surgery.
On Wednesday afternoon, Mayer took the first step toward being ready for spring training. He underwent a successful arthroscopic surgery to repair the tri angular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) in his right wrist.
Mayer, 22, won't be available at any point this season, including the playoffs. But the initial timeline for his recovery puts him in a good place to be ready for an uninterrupted 2026 campaign.
According to MassLive's Lauren Campbell, the expected timeline for a full recovery is three months, meaning by Thanksgiving, Mayer should be able to undertake his normal offseason preparations.
Mayer, who is all too aware of the injury label that's beginning to attach itself to him, can only look forward to proving he can stay on the field for a complete season in 2026, which the Red Sox want desperately to see.
“It sucks," Mayer said last week, per Campbell. “For someone who loves this game so much, all I want to do is play and I want to be out there every single day, especially in the big leagues when the playoffs are so important. I just have to get out there and keep working hard and try to come back strong.”
The former first-round pick slashed .228/.272/.402 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in 44 games. He impressed most on defense, taking to the third base position with great skill when Alex Bregman went down despite playing the vast majority of his minor league games at shortstop.
Whether it's at third, short, or second base, Mayer should be a big part of Boston's plans. But they'll have to get as far as they can without him for the rest of this year.
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