This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
BOSTON -- As the Red Sox look to fill their final spot in the infield following the departure of free agent Alex Bregman to the Cubs, perhaps nobody is following the situation with more curiosity than Marcelo Mayer.
Entering his first full Major League season, the talented infielder and No. 4 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft is poised to play a key role in manager Alex Cora’s lineup in '26, at least against right-handed pitching.
But the question is this: What position will Mayer play?
It all depends on whether chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acquires a second baseman or a third baseman.
This is where having a defender as versatile as Mayer helps. Should the Sox get a second baseman, Mayer will slot in at the hot corner. If the move is to get a third baseman, Mayer will likely get a lot of time at second base.
Of the 35 games Mayer started before suffering a right wrist injury that required season-ending surgery, 28 were at the hot corner and the other seven were at second base.
Mayer more than held his own at both spots -- impressive for someone who has played shortstop most of his life. In 68 chances at third, Mayer made all of one error. He also made several impressive plays in which he showed off his range and arm. At second base, in a much smaller sample size, Mayer played errorless baseball in 29 chances.
“It’s not easy going into an offseason kind of getting reps at every position. I believe that every position requires different traits, different skills, different angles that you need to master,” Mayer said. “Obviously, I'm doing everything I can, taking reps at third and at second base, and I feel really good at both. So wherever they need me is where I'm gonna play, and I'm gonna do my best out there.”
What are the specific nuances a lifetime shortstop has to consider when adapting to third and second?
“Playing third base is completely different from playing second base, so they each require a unique skill,” said Mayer. “Second base, you're doing everything backwards. Third base, you're pretty much playing shortstop with less range, kind of quicker reflexes. So, yeah, I think they're just different skills that you need to hone in on to be able to be great at that position.”
One thing Mayer did all winter to be at his best in all aspects of the game was add strength. As of the Fenway Fest event on Jan. 10, the 23-year-old was at a lifetime high of 218 pounds. He said he was at 208 when last season ended.
“I feel great, stronger and faster than ever,” said Mayer. “So I feel like my body's in a really good spot."
For the Red Sox, it was a good sign that they assigned Mayer a specific task during the offseason and he embraced it.
Mayer turned heads at shortstop Trevor Story’s camp when he won a sprinting competition against perceived faster teammates like Jarren Duran, Story and Roman Anthony.
“I always have said that Marcelo is, sneaky, one of the fastest players I’ve ever played with,” said Anthony on the Baseball Isn’t Boring Podcast. “I wasn’t super surprised. We don’t see that a ton because he’s not stealing a ton of bases.”
There were some good-natured quips from teammates that maybe it was a misread. So they raced again. And again. Same results.
“The first race he was significantly faster than the other three of us. The three of us were in the same range, and then we did it again, and two or three more times. He’s really fast. It was real,” said Anthony.
“Trevor was surprised by the way he's moving,” said Cora. “He’s fast. It seems like his offseasons, the last two or three, he's always rehabbing or trying to catch up. The kid, he's a good baserunner, he's a good defender, he can hit the ball out of the ballpark. Obviously, there's a few things offensively, he needs to improve, but that's everybody, right? And I like the player. I like him a lot. I don't think he's afraid of this environment. He actually likes it. So just go out there and play in Spring Training.”
Aside from speed, a sturdier Mayer might also add more power. And most importantly, more durability.
“I think it could help him hit the ball harder and more consistently, but I think more than anything it will just help him manage the workload of a full season,” Breslow said. “And just be able to withstand the demands of a full season, which is frankly something that he hasn’t been able to do. Some of those injuries in the past have been just kind of these freak injuries, but others seem to maybe be just the accumulation of workload.”