FORT MYERS, Fla. – Once the top prospect whose arrival was anticipated for years by Red Sox Nation, Marcelo Mayer has seen the narrative shift this spring.
Mayer – the fourth overall pick in the 2021 Draft – is now at the stage where it is no longer about the scouting reports and the projections, but all about the results.
Though the expectation seems to be that Mayer will break camp as the starting second baseman for the Red Sox – and if not, the primary third baseman – manager Alex Cora says that the left-handed hitter must earn his spot on the roster.
“With Marcelo, we'll give him the baton, but he has to run,” Cora said. “If he wants to be the starting second baseman in Cincinnati, there's a lot of work to do.
“It's not a given that he's second baseman or third baseman for this team. There's a lot of things that he needs to show us this spring, and we expect him to do that because he's that talented. But at the same time, there's a lot of guys here that can do the job.”
Does Mayer feel things are trending toward second base for him, given he has spent nearly every drill there during the first few days of Spring Training workouts?
“I don’t know. AC made it clear that I'm still looking for a job,” said Mayer. “So wherever it is they need me to play, that’s what I’m going to do. This is the big leagues. I assume that everybody in here is trying to keep their spot or work for a spot.
“No spot is ever guaranteed in the big leagues. I believe that that applies to everybody. So I'm just looking forward to getting out there and playing my game.”
Last season, Mayer became the second of Boston’s “Big 3” prospect group to earn his promotion to the Major Leagues. Kristian Campbell was the first on Opening Day, and he certainly had his ups and downs. Roman Anthony lived up to the expectations and more after his debut on June 9.
Mayer got the call on May 24 when Alex Bregman went on the injured list. Just less than two months later, his season was over thanks to a right wrist injury that required surgery.
Before getting hurt, Mayer, a lifetime shortstop, proved to be proficient at third and second base.
Mayer’s bat was more of a work in progress, as evidenced by a slash line of .228/.272/.402 with eight doubles, four homers and 10 RBIs in 136 plate appearances.
“He wasn't great offensively last year. He'll be the first one to tell you that,” said Cora. “Defensively, he was excellent. Baserunning, he was really good. But offensively, there's more. We know that, but he has to show us that he can handle this.”
As Cora predicted, Mayer was candid about the fact he wasn’t good enough last season.
“Last year was obviously, for my standards, not good,” Mayer said. “I feel like ever since I got up there, I was scuffling, trying to make adjustments throughout the whole season. It's not where you want to be.”
Heading into 2026, he has something to draw from.
“I feel like I'm in a really good spot right now,” Mayer said. “Adjustments wise, just focus on getting a good pitch. I have a good swing. It’s just honing in on that pitch.”
One thing the 23-year-old Mayer has is a strong opportunity to earn his spot. Bregman left as a free agent, leaving a vacancy in the infield.
Mayer has been enjoying his reps with potential double-play partner Trevor Story and looks forward to getting many more of them. Story is one of the few prominent Red Sox position players who isn’t participating in the World Baseball Classic.
“It’s good to get a lot of days back to back, like two whole months with Trevor up the middle,” said Mayer. “So yeah, it's been going good so far. We'll just keep stacking and adding more days and getting more comfortable over there.”
Cora saw progress in Mayer at the plate just before he got hurt in Philadelphia in the second series after the All-Star break. He looks forward to seeing more this spring.
“I think he was doing an outstanding job toward the end, but we need to control the zone, not chase so many pitches,” said Cora. “So we will see some trends, and if we feel comfortable with him, he will be the guy.”