The next phase of the Boston Red Sox’ youth movement has begun.
The Red Sox are promoting top infield prospect Marcelo Mayer to the big-league club, the team confirmed Saturday. ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported Mayer’s call-up. Mayer is the No. 2 ranked prospect in the organization and the No. 8 prospect in the sport, per MLB Pipeline.
Boston selected Mayer with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. The Southern California native was the consensus No. 1 prospect in his draft class, but he slid to the Red Sox after the Pittsburgh Pirates picked catcher Henry Davis, and the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers opted for pitchers Jack Leiter and Jackson Jobe, respectively.
The 22-year-old has lived up to his lofty expectations, shining both at the plate and in the infield throughout his four-plus minor-league seasons. Through 43 games this season at Triple-A Worcester, Mayer slashed .271/.347/.471 with nine homers and a league-leading 43 RBI.
Injuries have been Mayer’s only issue since joining the organization. His 2023 season was cut short due to a nagging shoulder injury, and his 2024 campaign ended prematurely because of a lumbar strain.
If Mayer can stay healthy, he’ll bring plenty of upside to the Red Sox lineup as a highly-touted rookie. It’s unclear at this point whether he’ll play second base, or if veteran Trevor Story will hand over the keys to shortstop. Either way, Boston could use infield help after third baseman Alex Bregman injured his right quad on Friday.
“I feel good. I feel solid,” Mayer told NBC Sports Boston on Friday about playing second base. “Obviously, I’ve played shortstop my whole life, with a little bit of third and second base. But as far as comfortability, I feel really good over there.”
Mayer could make his MLB debut later Saturday when the Red Sox play Game 2 of their doubleheader with the Baltimore Orioles at 6:35 ET.
Check out NBC Sports Boston’s full conversation with Mayer on Friday in Worcester about switching positions, his mindset prior to promotion and more:
