If you asked a Boston Red Sox fan in November what they thought the team's 2026 Opening Day infield would look like, their answer would probably be quite different from the reality.
Many hoped the team would go above and beyond to reunite with Alex Bregman which, obviously, didn't pan out, and Willson Contreras was an out-of-the-box trade addition by Craig Breslow. Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer would fill in the middle infield unless the Sox's final addition ended up being a second baseman.
But Alex Cora threw out some more lineup information before Boston's first spring training matchup of the season. Mayer's spot on the Opening Day lineup isn't guaranteed, and Cora said he has to see more from the infielder for him to earn his job.
"With Marcelo, 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, there's a lot of work to do. It's not a given that he's second baseman or third baseman for this team," Cora said (via Ian Browne of MLB.com).
Alex Cora needs to see improved offense from Marcelo Mayer for him to make the Red Sox's Opening Day roster
It's interesting, and could be a hint, that Cora's first instinct was to refer to Mayer as a second baseman. He and Caleb Durbin are in the mix for second and third base and both have experience at the hot corner in the big leagues. In January, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reported that the Red Sox might prefer Mayer at third base, but that hint have changed after the Durbin trade (subscription required).
Cora specified that he hopes to see improved offense from Mayer before he awards the former top prospect a spot on the Opening Day roster. Mayer batted .228/.272/.402 with eight doubles, a triple and four home runs over 44 games before he fell injured and required season-ending wrist surgery.
Mayer will have to limit strikeouts to take a step forward offensively. He fanned 30.1% of the time during his cup of coffee in the big leagues. He also ranked in the lower quartile of the league with a 5.9% walk rate.
After the Red Sox's early January whiff on Bregman, Mayer didn't have much competition for an infield spot. Boston signed Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the final days before spring training, then quickly traded for Durbin and depth infielders Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler, who all present new obstacles on Mayer's way to the Opening Day roster.
Mayer batted .333/.455/.528 with a .983 OPS over 20 spring training games last year. He could easily make the cut for Opening Day if he runs it back, but whether he can maintain that production into the regular season remains to be seen.