The season-ending injury to first baseman Triston Casas has left the Boston Red Sox with a bevy of options to fill out their infield.
Casas, who was off to a slow start, will miss all of 2025 with a ruptured left patellar tendon. While this injury makes his future in Boston murky, it also presents the Red Sox with the unenviable task of replacing him in the interim. Since it seems that Rafael Devers is unwilling to move to first base, the Red Sox will have to get creative.
Fortunately, the Red Sox have the depth within their organization to solve this problem without looking to the trade market. One proposal that could fill the hole left by Casas' injury would be to move shortstop Trevor Story to first base and call up top prospect Marcelo Mayer to replace him at shortstop. A similar proposal, which had the Red Sox trading Casas and moving Story to first, was discussed recently on the MLB Trade Rumors podcast
It's a big move, but it could make a lot of sense. Firstly, Story has been a defensive liability at short so far this year and could benefit from playing a less demanding position. Second, Mayer has been solid in Worcester this year, with a .796 OPS in 42 games played. Pairing him with Kristian Campbell would for a young and exciting double play combination in the middle of the infield.
Red Sox could call up Marcelo Mayer to play shortstop, move Trevor Story to first base
Most importantly, though, calling Mayer up would add some intrigue to a team that hasn't exactly looked promising out of the gate this year. They've hovered around .500 for most of the year and haven't lived up to lofty preseason expectations. If the Red Sox call up Mayer and Roman Anthony, who has been tearing it up in Worcester himself, it could give them the boost they need to compete in the surprisingly gettable American League East.
Is Story the Red Sox long-term answer at first? Certainly not. He hasn't been serviceable at the plate or in the field this year, and the Red Sox can't wait to be free of his contract. That being said, the hope is that Mayer is the future at shortstop, and this move gives him a path to consistent big league playing time. His excellent play in Triple-A this year proves that he's ready for the majors, and the Red Sox could benefit from the injection of more young talent.