This may not be how Boston Red Sox fans dreamed it, but after weeks and months of begging their team to promote one of their duo of elite prospects, they're finally getting their wish. In the wake of Alex Bregman's quad injury, Boston is calling up infielder Marcelo Mayer from Triple-A.
The news that Bregman would be getting an MRI on his quad on Saturday morning put everyone on high alert, and sure enough, Mayer was seen getting congratulations from his teammates after being pulled from the lineup at Triple-A Worcester on Saturday afternoon.
New England has been waiting for this day ever since Mayer was drafted No. 4 overall in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Eastlake High School in Southern California. He's steadily worked his way through the team's Minor League system in the ensuing years, remaining high on top prospect lists all the while. MLB Pipeline currently has him at No. 8 overall, and the Red Sox will hope that he can help stop the bleeding and provide a boost to an infield that's been left perilously thin after injuries to Bregman and Triston Casas.
But just how likely is that? Here's everything to know about the 22-year-old, and what fans can expect as he makes the jump to the Majors for the very first time.
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Marcelo Mayer scouting report: What is Boston getting in young infielder?
At 6-foot-3, Mayer is an imposing presence on the field; while he's spent most of his pro career to date at shortstop, some scouts have predicted a move to third base at some point because of just how big he is (and speed that could generously be described as average).
The real calling card here, though, is the bat. He's got a pure left-handed swing, capable of doing real damage to the pull side. A propensity to hit the ball on the ground has limited his home run totals so far in the Minors, and Fenway Park won't help matters there either. But this is an advanced approach; save for a rough debut at Double-A in 2023, when he was just 20 years old, Mayer has run batting averages at or approaching .300 and healthy OBPs throughout his pro career.
It remains to be seen how he'll handle the best pitchers on the planet. There will no doubt be an adjustment period, and filling Bregman's shoes isn't an easy assignment for anyone. Mayer has in particular struggled against offspeed stuff, and MLB arms will no doubt exploit that weakness. But the Red Sox were light on options even with Bregman healthy, given Trevor Story and Kristian Campbell's struggles and the fact that the team was running Nick Sogard and Abraham Toro out on a regular basis. Mayer has substantially more upside than that duo, and right now Boston needs to be taking big swings if it wants to keep pace in the AL East.