Mayer wins second-base job for Boston; Campbell optioned to Minors

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Red Sox manager Alex Cora ended whatever suspense was left on Saturday morning when he named Marcelo Mayer his primary second baseman for the coming season.

Once the decision was made over the last couple of weeks that Caleb Durbin was going to be the starting third baseman, Mayer seemed like the obvious fit to play second.

But Cora made it a point numerous times to say Mayer, coming off a spotty rookie year offensively which was shortened by a right wrist injury, needed to earn his spot on the roster.

With precious few days left in camp, Mayer did enough to do just that.

“Yeah, Marcelo is going to be our second baseman,” Cora said prior to Saturday’s game against the Braves. “I talked to him today. He did an amazing job in the offseason. Like I told him, he’s always been a good player, but he actually did an amazing job putting himself in the conversation to play in October last year after the surgery.”

“It means a lot,” Mayer said. “Obviously, that was the goal coming into camp. He made it well known that the spot wasn't given to me, so I worked hard, and I'm really happy with the outcome. I'm excited about the team.”

Meanwhile, Kristian Campbell, the story of last year’s Spring Training when he broke camp as the team’s starting second baseman, was optioned to the Minors on Saturday, not long before Cora informed Mayer he had made the club.

Campbell was the American League’s Rookie of the Month in April after signing an eight-year, $60 million contract, but he struggled after that and was sent to Triple-A in June, and he stayed there the rest of the season.

Campbell batted .220 with one homer and four RBIs in 46 plate appearances this spring while getting most of his playing time in center field.

What did Cora tell Campbell upon relaying the news?

“‘You’ve got to go back to the big leagues. Just got to play better.’ There's a few things that he did in camp and he didn't do in camp,” Cora said. “And obviously, in camp, he didn't walk as often. He struck out a lot, right? So that's not him. We just have to keep working together. But at the end, he said it, ‘It’s up to me. It's up to me to get back here.’ And we will help him.”

A natural shortstop, Mayer has been a seamless fit at second base, working comfortably with shortstop Trevor Story.

“I love it. Trevor is an amazing teammate, an amazing person. So for us to be able to work together, understand each other a little bit more, it's gonna be nice,” said Mayer.

Why did a decision that seemed fairly obvious take so long for Cora to announce?

“I wanted to push him,” Cora said. “Nothing is given here, and obviously last year wasn't great for him offensively, but it's part of the process, and he understands that, but we have some capable players here that can play second base most of the time, too. So it was out of respect of the whole group and obviously understanding that there's certain things that he needed to do.”

None of those things were related to Mayer’s defense, which has always been the part of the game that comes most naturally to the 23-year-old.

Instead, Cora wanted to make sure his offensive approach was improved from last year, when he had a batting line of .228/.272/.402 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 136 plate appearances following his promotion to the Major Leagues.

“He showed me that he's been disciplined, especially down in the zone,” Cora said. “Obviously, everything changes when the season starts. But so far, so good. He's been really good at not chasing pitches down. He hits the ball hard. Little by little, he gained confidence and I was like, ‘OK, this is going to be OK.’”

Mayer made it clear that he didn’t mind the challenge his manager presented him with.

“I was super grateful for the opportunity. Not many people are given that opportunity to wear the ‘B’ on the hat and Red Sox across the chest. It’s an amazing feeling, and I don't believe that should be given to anybody,” said Mayer. “I love that he told me I had to work for it, and I took that to heart every day, worked hard, and I'm grateful with the outcome.”

With the Red Sox facing lefties the first two games of the regular season, it’s unclear when Mayer -- the fourth overall pick in the 2021 Draft -- will make his first start during the opening three-game series in Cincinnati.

“We'll protect him against lefties,” Cora said. “I talked to him about it, I know he wants to [hit against lefties], and he will, at one point. When? We don't know, right? So, just a good defender, a good player, and I'm excited about him.”