If Boston Red Sox fans aren't completely familiar with the organization's No. 2 prospect (after Kristian Campbell's graduation) and the No. 10 overall prospect in baseball, Marcelo Mayer, they should get there. And if you're wondering how you should feel about the shortstop/infielder, Tuesday's matchup for the Worcester Red Sox against a former Boston fan-favorite, Christian Arroyo, gave you everything you need to know.
During the fourth inning of Tuesday's matinee with Mayer in the field at short, Arroyo came up to bat for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in the Triple-A clash. He absolutely ripped a pitch from Josh Winckowski the opposite way that seemed like it'd surely find the gap between Mayer and the third baseman. Instead, Mayer showed off his ridiculous range to his right, made a clean play, and then fired a rocket to first base to still get Arroyo out on the play.
And if you need to know how Arroyo felt about the play from Mayer, he basically said it all after hearing the out call from the umpire. This is the picture of a man in total disbelief.
While so much of the talk regarding Red Sox prospects has (rightly) been used toward Roman Anthony, the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball, Mayer is forcing his way into the conversation. With plays like this in the field, Boston's current situation, and the way he's hit throughout his minor league career, it's only a matter of time before fans are calling just as loudly as they are for Anthony for Mayer to be called up.
Marcelo Mayer forcing another Red Sox call-up despite logjam
Mayer hasn't been quite as dominant as Anthony but, at the same time, he's still making his case to join the big-league roster. Not only does he have an .809 OPS this season in Triple-A at more than 100 at-bats at this point in the year, but he dominated Red Sox spring training with a .938 OPS. He's absolutely mashing right now in a big way.
From the Red Sox perspective, they have more of an excuse to be hesitant to call up Mayer than they do with Anthony. The 22-year-old infielder still hasn't played 30 games at the Triple-A level after missing the rest of the season falling his promotion from Double-A at the end of last year. Furthermore, he's dealt with injuries in his young career. So seeing a larger sample size of Mayer staying healthy and succeeding at the highest level of ball he's ever played before the call to the show does make sense.
At the same time, the Triston Casas injury opens up avenues for Mayer to potentially get the call. Should the Red Sox explore moving either Trevor Story or Kristian Campbell to first base, whether you agree with that or not, Mayer would be the obvious choice to move in and start at either shortstop or second base. That could also deliver a much-needed jolt to a lineup that's been inconsistent through the first 36 games of the season.
Whether that happens or not remains to be seen. However, Craig Breslow and the Red Sox are already feeling the heat from the fan base regarding Anthony, who has already proven there's nothing left for him to prove at the minor-league level. Now, Mayer is threatening to push his name into that conversation, too — something Christian Arroyo can certainly attest to based on his reaction on Tuesday.