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Will Marcelo Mayer make Red Sox roster? Alex Cora says it’s not a given
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- Will Marcelo Mayer make Red Sox roster? Alex Cora says it’s not a given
FORT MYERS, Fla. — For much of the last week, newcomer Caleb Durbin has been working out at third base and Marcelo Mayer at second, seemingly offering a clue about how the Red Sox plan to deploy the two versatile infielders.
When Mayer returned to third Base Friday morning — as Durbin missed the workout due to a dental emergency — it was worth noting and a reminder that the Sox have, despite the reading yet to fully commit to a definitive alignment.
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But the more Alex Cora spoke, the more it became obvious: Mayer, in his second big league season, isn’t necessarily guaranteed to start at either spot for now.
“With Marcelo,” began Cora, “like I said yesterday or two days ago, we’ll give him the baton, but he has to run. You know, if he wants to be the starting second baseman in Cincinnati (on Opening Day), 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.”
Indeed, there’s plenty of competition in camp. Romy Gonzalez (shoulder) is delayed and almost certainly won’t be ready for the opener. But that still leaves Nick Sogard and veteran Brendan Rodgers as competition for playing time.
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Cora’s assessment was something of a surprise, as it’s been widely assumed that since Alex Bregman signed with the Chicago Cubs, putting the Red Sox in need of two infielders — one at second and one at third — Mayer would be part of the equation in some form or fashion.
However, Friday’s comments cast Mayer in a different light.
Mayer, chosen fourth overall in the 2021 draft, remains a player of great potential and promise, of whom much is still expected. But he needs to further establish himself offensively while also demonstrating that he can hold up physically for an entire year.
In each of the last four pro seasons — the first two in the minors and last summer, in the majors — Mayer has suffered a season-ending injury that cut short his year and curtailed his development path.
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In 2022, he battled back and right wrist issues. The following year, he was impacted by left shoulder inflammation. In 2023, his season waa interrupted by a lumbar strain. Finally, after making his big league debut in May, he injured his right wrist on a swing in July, underwent surgery in August and didn’t play again.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow seemed to challenge Mayer somewhat over the winter when he advised the former first-round pick to get stronger during the offseason, the better to ward off injury.
Then there’s the matter of his offense. For all the excitement that surrounds Mayer as a hitter, he struggled at times as a rookie. He slashed just .228/.272/.402 in 44 games and produced just four homers.
Hitting lefthanders was especially problematic, as he hit just .154.
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“He wasn’t great offensively last year,” said Cora. “He’ll be the first one to tell you that. Defensively, he was excellent. Base-running wise, he’s really good. But offensively, there’s more. We know that, but he has to show he can handle this.”
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