Red Sox haven’t ruled out Marcelo Mayer in competition for starting 2B
"Like I said, everybody has a shot.”
Marcelo Mayer hasn’t logged a single at-bat at Triple-A Worcester so far in his young baseball career.
Nor has the 22-year-old shortstop spent a significant amount of time at second base during his tenure in Boston’s system.
But with Mayer — currently tabbed as MLB’s 12th-ranked prospect — scorching at the plate during spring training, Red Sox manager Alex Cora is not ruling out Mayer as a potential candidate for the team’s starting spot at second base ahead of Opening Day next week.
“He can do it,” Cora told The Boston Globe of Mayer’s viability as a second baseman on Wednesday. “Like I said, everybody has a shot.”
Tabbed as one of Boston’s “Big Three” prospects alongside Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell, Mayer has put together arguably the most complete performance this spring among that grouping — quieting some of the concerns that came with his development potentially plateauing due to injury.
Mayer is currently batting .357 with a .955 OPS in 31 plate appearances through 14 games during Grapefruit League play — tripling in Wednesday’s 6-4 win over the Tigers in Fort Myers while playing second base for the second game in a row.
“I think the biggest thing is playing multiples as soon as you get more at bats, you know,” Mayer told The Boston Globe. “So for me, it’s just about getting at bats right now, getting ready for the season that’s in big leagues to the big leagues. If it’s into Triple A, it’s for Triple A. But right now, I’m just focused on getting ready for the year.”
At first glance, both Campbell and David Hamilton stand as more likely candidates to open the year at second for Boston. Campbell has played more of his career at second with Boston, while Hamilton does have 113 games of MLB experience over the last two years.
Mayer — the fourth-overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft — has all of the tools to be an impact infielder with Boston for years to come. But Mayer has seen his last two seasons in Portland and Worcester end prematurely due to injury, with the infielder unable to play any games against Triple-A competition in 2024 despite getting called up in August.
But Mayer’s strong spring and his defensive play could make him an intriguing addition at second moving forward — especially with his natural position at shortstop currently blocked by Trevor Story.
Even if both Campbell and Hamilton might remain as the current favorites for the 2B job, a strong start for Mayer in Triple-A could have him knocking on the door for big-league reps in short order.
“Yeah, I think so,” Mayer told the Globe when asked if he’s already ready for MLB competition. “Like I said, though all that stuff is out of my control, the front office makes all those decisions, I feel ready. You know, I feel like I’m in a good spot, mentally, physically, I’m swinging it well, so see what happens.”
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