Alex Cora likes Marcelo Mayer’s attitude after showing frustration over starting 2025 in Triple-A
"It’s good that he feels that way, but he’s gotta be patient."
Marcelo Mayer didn’t hide his feelings about not opening the 2025 season with the Red Sox prior to making his Triple-A debut on Friday. Alex Cora appreciated that.
The Red Sox manager said that Mayer’s frustrations over starting the year in Triple-A are “100 percent” the attitude he wants to see from his players.
“It’s good that he feels that way, but he’s gotta be patient. That’s the way it works,” Cora told reporters, via MassLive’s Christopher Smith. “We’ve got some good players here. I think obviously balance means a lot to us offensively. And I think obviously Hammy (David Hamilton) and KC (Kristian Campbell) are going to do a good job. But like I said before with him, yeah, an injury away probably from being in the big leagues. But I think it’s the other way around. They’re gonna push us to make decisions.”
Mayer wasn’t projected to make the big league roster when spring training began in February, but he made a strong case to break camp with the Red Sox when Opening Day arrived. He was arguably the Red Sox’ top hitter in the exhibition games, hitting .333 with a .875 OPS, one home run, and 11 RBIs in 44 plate appearances. He also made some strong defensive plays, too.
Ahead of Friday’s WooSox home opener, Mayer told WEEI’s “Jones and Keefe” that he felt that he “did earn a spot” on the Red Sox’ roster “based on performance.”
“With that being said, things are gonna go my way,” Mayer added. “And now I’m here, and you know, I’m just gonna get after it every single day. Keep doing what I’m doing.”
Cora acknowledged that Mayer had a strong spring. However, with Trevor Story occupying shortstop, Cora wants Mayer to get reps at other positions in the infield before he makes his big league debut.
“It’s important for him to play third, play second, and he played well. He played good defense in different positions,” Cora said. “The swing is on point. We had a good conversation with him.”
Mayer, 22, has been one of the faces of the Red Sox farm system ever since the team selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. His rise to making the big leagues might be slower than what some have expected, but he remains one of the most highly-touted prospects in baseball. Baseball America ranked him as the 15th best prospect in baseball entering the year while MLB Pipeline has him ranked 12th. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel ranked Mayer the highest among notable outlets, rating him as the fourth-best prospect in baseball.
Mayer seemed to turn a corner last season, hitting .307 with an .850 OPS and eight homers in 77 games with Double-A Portland last season. That earned him a call-up to Triple-A Worcester late in the year, but he never played a game with the WooSox in 2024 due to a left shoulder injury. He went 0-for-4 in Friday’s 4-3 loss to the Syracuse Mets.
Even though Mayer has hit the ball well, Cora said there are some things he can improve at the plate.
He’s a good defender,” Cora said. “He cares about defense. He really does, which I love. It’s easy for him to play defense. Offensively, there’s a few things that we truly believe he needs to get better [at].”
Still, Cora’s a fan of Mayer and likes the competitive spirit that he has, recalling how Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar cried when he was sent down to the minors before his rookie season in 1988.
“Now, he didn’t cry [like Alomar],” Cora said. “But yeah, I saw the interview.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com