‘It’s good’: Red Sox’ Alex Cora replies to Marcelo Mayer playing time request

“100 percent. Yeah,” Cora said.

Mayer played shortstop in Worcester’s opener but he’s expected to receive starts at second base and third base as well.

“It’s important for him to play third, play second,” Cora said, “And he played well. He played good defense in different positions. The swing is on point. We had a good conversation with him. Now, he didn’t cry (like Alomar). But yeah, I saw the interview.”

Baseball America ranks Mayer No. 15 on its Top 100 list.

“It’s good that he feels that way but he’s gotta be patient. That’s the way it works,” Cora said. “We’ve got some good players here. I think obviously balance means a lot to us offensively. And I think obviously Hammy (David Hamilton) and KC (Kristian Campbell) are going to do a good job. But like I said before with him, yeah, an injury away probably from being in the big leagues. But I think it’s the other way around. They’re gonna push us to make decisions.”

Cora described Mayer is “toolsy” and “very mature.”

He’s a good defender,” Cora said. “He cares about defense. He really does, which I love. It’s easy for him to play defense. Offensively, there’s a few things that we truly believe he needs to get better (at).”