This youngster believes he belongs in the big leagues.
Boston Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer is knocking on the door of the big leagues, but his team didn’t believe he was ready just yet coming out of spring training.
Mayer, the 22-year-old shortstop chosen by the Red Sox with the fourth-overall pick of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft, had a killer spring. But he is beginning the season in Triple-A, in part due to inexperience, and in part because he is blocked on the major league roster.
Injuries ended Mayer’s 2023 and 2024 seasons prematurely, or he might be making his big-league debut in Arlington, Tex. this week. Instead, he’s getting ready to make his Triple-A debut, which he was supposed to do last August before his lower back issue nixed that opportunity.
However, despite the fact that he’s yet to play a game above Double-A, Mayer expressed Friday that he felt he had earned a spot on the Red Sox’s Opening Day roster based on how well he played this spring.
“Yeah,” Mayer said Monday on WEEI’s Jones and Keefe. “Obviously, like you said, all that stuff isn’t up to me, but as a player, and based on performance, I feel like I did earn a spot on that team. With that being said, things didn’t go my way and now I’m here. I’m just going to get after it every single day and keep doing what I’m doing.”
Mayer was then asked if the team had given him any sort of heads-up about when he might be called upon to make his debut.
“Not really a timetable,” he said. “I think it’s kind of hard to tell. I also think it’s part of the business, they don’t tell you as well, even if they know. They pretty much told me to keep doing what I’ve been doing. I think everyone knows that I played really well this spring, but yeah, just keep playing how I know how to play and everything will fall into place.”
Mayer slashed .333/.455/.528 in official spring training games, but he also had two home runs and two other extra-base hits in exhibition games not counted in those totals. There’s a case to be made that he was the most impressive player in a Red Sox uniform during camp besides Garrett Crochet.
The Red Sox could have made a stunning move and made Mayer the second baseman over Kristian Campbell, but the latter was incredible during his Triple-A debut last year while Mayer was hurt. Campbell went 1-for-3 with a walk during his Opening Day debut on Thursday.
Still, Mayer is saying exactly what a team wants to hear from a future star. He’s got a right to be disappointed, but it’s clear all the team’s decision will do is motivate him to earn his spot as quickly as possible.
