This is a very exciting time to be a Boston Red Sox fan. The team has defied all odds and sits at 68-56 on the year even with Rafael Devers spending much of it in San Francisco, and young players like Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet have led the way. While these are exciting times in Beantown, it isn't all sunshine and roses, as Marcelo Mayer, another high-end young player, has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the season and is expected to undergo right wrist surgery.
Marcelo Mayer will have surgery on his right wrist, Alex Cora said. His season is over. He should be ready for spring training.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) August 17, 2025
This stings for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, Mayer was expected to play a major role for the 2025 Red Sox, and now, it's confirmed that he'll miss the entire stretch run and the postseason. The Red Sox have been winning without him thanks largely to Ceddanne Rafaela's versatility, but Mayer was still supposed to be a key contributor.
Second, this is just the latest of several injuries Mayer has suffered. Mayer suffering another season-ending injury should force the Red Sox to acknowledge a very frustrating reality with the infielder; he's injury-prone.
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Red Sox must acknowledge that Marcelo Mayer is injury-prone
Notably, this wrist injury is on the same wrist he hurt in the minor leagues in 2022 and eventually got surgery on. Just a couple of years later, Mayer's season ended prematurely thanks to a back injury. Mayer is uber-talented, which is why he was considered one of MLB's top prospects before his promotion, but injuries have been more prevalent than anyone would've liked to have seen for the 22-year-old.
Mayer, notably, hasn't played in more than 91 games in a single professional season, and that came in 2022. He's always been able to hit everywhere he's been, but there's a reason people say the best ability is availability. Having Mayer for 70-ish games might be nice for those contests he's healthy for, but it makes him a hard player to commit to.
Mayer is clearly part of Boston's core both in 2025 and beyond, but just how committed should the Sox be to him? My answer to that is not quite as committed as they are to Anthony and Kristian Campbell.
Red Sox must make Marcelo Mayer prove himself before having him follow Roman Anthony's footsteps
Not only did Mayer have a .674 OPS and a 30.1 percent strikeout rate in 44 games to begin his MLB career this season, but again, the injury concerns are real. For those reasons, the Red Sox must refrain from having Mayer follow the footsteps of Anthony and Campbell. They should not hold long-term extension talks with him.
It'd be nice to have Mayer locked in long-term on a deal that ends up looking team-friendly, but no deal will look team-friendly if he doesn't have what it takes to play in 140+ games.
All Red Sox fans can hope now is that he's ready for spring training as Alex Cora said he will be, and that he can stay on the field while producing like the star everyone knows he can be. If and when that happens, that's when the Red Sox should see whether Mayer would be open to an extension.