Alex Cora's response to Marcelo Mayer's injury might worry Red Sox fans

Boston Red Sox fans were recently delighted to hear the organization's "Big Three" prospects were all promoted to Triple-A together.

Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel and Marcelo Mayer have all reached MLB's doorstep. Anthony has dominated Triple-A so far and Teel is still finding his footing — Mayer, meanwhile, has been on the sidelines for almost a month.

The 21-year-old has been rehabbing a lower back/upper glute injury since he was pulled from the Sea Dogs' July 30 game against Double-A Erie. He was recently diagnosed with a lumbar strain and the Red Sox organization decided to shut him down for the rest of the season.

The Red Sox expect Mayer to make a full recovery and post a "normal offseason," according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, but Alex Cora expressed some worries about his future shortstop's time on the injured list.

Alex Cora shares concern about top Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer's durability

"From my end, concerning, to be honest with you. We've just got to make sure we keep him healthy. That's the most important thing," Cora said.

Mayer hasn't played more than 91 games in a season since he began his career with the Red Sox organization and he hasn't cracked 80 since 2022. The premature end has been the most concerning aspect of Mayer's campaign, as he's posted stellar numbers with the Sea Dogs — he slashed .307/.370/.480 with a .850 OPS in Double-A.

Durability has been an issue for the Red Sox in recent seasons, particularly in the middle infield. Trevor Story has missed all but 51 games of the past two seasons with injuries and Vaughn Grissom has only played 23 games with the big-league club at second base. Mayer's ability to stay on the field will be crucial to Boston's success down the road.

Speier believes it's too early to brand the young shortstop as "injury prone." Before he signed with the Red Sox, he was just a high schooler with no exposure to strength training. Mayer is still just 21 years old and has time to become physically and mentally stronger before he takes the field for the Red Sox.

Cora's concerns about Mayer's health are valid and the young infielder needs as much playing time as he can get at the Triple-A level before he's promoted to the big leagues. But prospects' career trajectories are unpredictable, and rarely are they defined by injuries during their minor league years. Barring any severe downturns in Mayer's durability or the quality of his play, he'll be stronger before he reaches the big leagues.

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