On Saturday, the Boston Red Sox appeared to have made a massive move. According to Katie Morrison-O'Day of MassLive on Twitter, prospect Marcelo Mayer was getting hugs and congratulations in Worcester's clubhouse, only to leave the park before the game started.
That felt like a ridiculously strong indicator that Mayer has been promoted to the Majors, and the speculation was correct. The Red Sox officially promoted him to the big league roster not too long after.
The left-handed hitting shortstop is slashing .271/.347/.471 with five doubles, one triple, and nine home runs in Triple-A this season. He's driven in 43 runs, scored 31 more, and stolen two bases.
Boston Red Sox promote Marcelo Mayer to MLB
Mayer has looked ready for a promotion for quite some time. However, there was no open spot for him. That's where the bad news comes in. It's safe to assume that Alex Bregman will be heading to the injured list, which will open up a spot for Mayer on the Major League roster.
Red Sox fans have been begging for Mayer (and Roman Anthony) to get promoted for a month now. It appears that Boston has finally answered the call on Mayer, but not under the most ideal of circumstances.
Mayer's nine home runs are already higher than his 2024 total of eight. Three of those nine homers have come off left-handed pitchers. In fact, Mayer has a higher average (.271) against lefties than he does against righties (.270). With that in mind, this shouldn't be a platoon situation. Mayer should be in the lineup every day.
When Bregman returns, there might need to be some awkward conversations, especially if Mayer has proven himself in the Majors.
It remains to be seen how the Red Sox align their defense with Mayer on the roster. He only has 48 1/3 innings at third base. Mayer's had 84 innings at second base and 2,254 innings at shortstop. Kristian Campbell has had extremely limited time at third base. Ceddanne Rafaela is the same story. Speaking of story, Trevor Story has never played third.
The Red Sox will likely need someone who isn't completely comfortable with the position to get some playing time there. That could get a little messy with first base being in a similar situation. Hopefully, Mayer is given a chance at shortstop, as he's the clear future of the position for Boston.
The Red Sox look to right the ship and get over (and stay over) .500. Mayer could add a perfect spark for the team and get things headed in the right direction.