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Marcelo Mayer’s first days with Red Sox included a search for missing car keys
"I lost them about three weeks ago and never cared to look for them until I needed to."
Marcelo Mayer has had a solid start to his big-league career.
Through three games with the Red Sox, the former top prospect has already collected three hits (including a double) while scoring a run.
But the 22-year-old infielder has had an eventful 72 hours since first finding out that he was MLB-bound.
It started with the circumstances involving his call-up, with Mayer earning his long-awaited promotion to the Red Sox ahead of the second leg of Boston’s Saturday doubleheader against the Orioles.
Mayer needed to make it from Worcester’s Polar Park to Fenway ahead of Game 2 against Baltimore, but the former No. 4 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft couldn’t take his own car east on the Mass. Pike.
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Why? Because he had misplaced his car keys … for close to a month.
“I lost them about three weeks ago and never cared to look for them until I needed to,” Mayer told MLB.com on Saturday.
The WooSox had to call on a clubhouse attendant to drive Mayer to Boston, with Mayer arriving at Fenway an hour ahead of the Red Sox’s scheduled 6:35 p.m. start against the Orioles.
“Well, there was a little bit of traffic,” Mayer added. “You know how Boston is with traffic, especially during a game. So, there was a little bit of traffic. … “Honestly, I was like this [head down] the whole time [driving to Fenway], just looking at my phone.
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“So I barely realized it. But yeah, the clubbie was making jokes to get a police escort to get everybody out of the way because he was getting more nervous than me.”
Despite Mayer’s unorthodox arrival in Boston and his lack of transportation, the talented prospect has already impressed his new teammates with his approach as a big-league player.
“I found myself just gravitating toward him and Roman [Anthony], Vaughn [Grissom], Nate Eaton and Trayce [Thompson],” Nick Sogard told WEEI on Sunday. “It’s a really good group down there and we’d spend a lot of time together after the games just hanging out, talking baseball.
“So I think you can say infinite things about the player and the maturity for a 22-year-old. A good kid to hang around with. I enjoyed being with him and it’s fun to play with him.”
Mayer does not need his car — still parked at Polar Park — this week with the Red Sox on the road in both Milwaukee and Atlanta.
But the Red Sox’ new top prospect did get some good news after arriving in Wisconsin.
“I’m happy to report that the kid found his car keys,” NESN’s Jahmai Webster said ahead of Boston’s game against the Brewers on Monday. “They were in the pocket of one of the jackets that he threw in a suitcase when he got short notice that he [was] needed by the big-league club.”
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