The Boston Red Sox got some bad news on Saturday morning, as the quad injury that Alex Bregman suffered in the team's win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday is apparently serious enough to require an MRI ā and, in all likelihood, a stint on the Injured List.
Even if he only needs to miss the minimum two weeks, it's hard to overstate how big any Bregman absence would be. Boston's offense has been the one thing keeping the team's head above water amid a rocky start, and that offense had increasingly relied on Bregman (and Rafael Devers) to patch over some very real holes in the lineup. The rest of the infield has been a black hole ever since Triston Casas went down, with both Trevor Story and Kristian Campbell struggling mightily, and Jarren Duran has been unable to recapture the magic of his 2024 breakout.
Bregman was arguably the player the Red Sox could least afford to lose, and now they're staring at the prospect of trying to survive without him for at least the near future. Amid that desperation, you can forgive fans for turning their attention back to Devers ā Nick Sogard will play third base on Saturday afternoon, and manager Alex Cora has already confirmed that his $313 million man once again will not be in consideration to fill in for an injured Boston infielder.
But that attention is misplaced. Even if Devers were ready and willing to dust off his glove and man the hot corner again, that would just create one hole to plug another ā Boston would still need someone to serve as the DH, and Masataka Yoshida isn't yet ready to return after just starting his throwing program earlier this week.
There's only one way for the Red Sox to have any chance of not missing a beat with Bregman out: Leave Devers where he is and call up one of the best prospects in baseball.
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Red Sox need to give Marcelo Mayer his shot after Alex Bregman injury
These aren't the circumstances under which Red Sox fans wanted Marcelo Mayer to get his shot at the Major League level. But MLB Pipeline's No. 8 overall prospect has to be the way forward here if Bregman is indeed forced to miss an extended period of time.
Sure, he doesn't have a ton of experience at third base; a shortstop by trade, he's made just four starts at the position at Triple-A this season after making just one at Double-A last year. But Mayer was already a bit oversized for the 6 anyway, and that frame and arm strength would seem to make him a natural fit at the hot corner. And his bat continues to shine, with an .818 OPS and nine homers over his first 43 games in 2025.
When Boston does call up Mayer, they likely want it to be for good. So if Bregman is only set to miss the minimum two weeks, maybe they just try to ride it out with what they have. But even that period of time might be enough to leave them out of shouting distance of the New York Yankees in the AL East. This team needs a shot in the arm, and while pitching remains the biggest issue, Mayer is Boston's best bet to weather this storm and hopefully stay afloat until Bregman returns.