Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer 'in a good spot physically and mentally', playing without pain
With the fourth pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the Boston Red Sox selected Marcelo Mayer. It’s been since that mid-summer day in 2021 that the young shortstop has been appointed as the next big thing for the organization.
The events that have followed the 2021 draft have all but cleared the path for Mayer to become the shortstop of the future. They let franchise cornerstone Xander Bogaerts leave in free agency. They signed Trevor Story to be the stopgap between Bogaerts and Mayer.
Mayer’s place at the table is set, there’s only one thing holding him back from departing the kid’s table, his health. After dealing with just small-scale injuries, it was in 2023 that Mayer faced a real setback. A shoulder impingement, suffered while trying to dive into third stretching a double into a triple while playing at High-A with the Greenville Drive, Mayer was not the same the rest of the season.
Shortly after the injury, Mayer earned a promotion to AA with the Portland Sea Dogs, where trying to play through the injury, he posted uncharacteristic numbers. Eventually, Mayer was shut down on August 5th and did not play another game in 2023. All eyes were on the off-season to rehab the impingement.
“It was definitely a long process,” Mayer said. “I bounced back and forth between San Diego and Fort Myers. I worked hard, did a lot of things in the gym. I started swinging January 20th when I went to Boston, that’s when I got cleared.”
Due to the shoulder rehab, Mayer had to keep the swinging to a minimum in the off-season.
“With it being a little limited on the swinging, just tried to get as strong as possible, as quick as possible,” Mayer said. “Take as many reps at shortstop as I possibly could.”
In terms of what the organization is looking for the young shortstop to improve on this season, it includes objectives both at the plate and in the field.
“Chase percentage, I’m trying to get my walks up and strikeout less, and range at shortstop,” Mayer said.
Mayer, still just 21 himself, has often been described as the leader of the young group of prospects making their way through the minor leagues.
“There’s a lot of guys who lead vocally, other guys lead by example, but I think they make it easy on my end,” Mayer said. “We all get along so well.”
Teammate and roommate of Mayer, Roman Anthony, described Mayer as someone that “leads by example”.
Mayer and Anthony are the Red Sox’s top prospects. No matter what order they are placed at the top of the rankings, they share a similar sentiment.
“It’s an honor that they throw my name in that mix, but it’s not really something I’m focused on,” Mayer said. “My end goal is to be a big leaguer and help the team win.”
In terms of how Mayer feels about Anthony, it’s mutual.
“He leads by example as well, he’s a great guy to have around,” Mayer said. “We feed off each other’s energy. It’s great vibes being around him.”
So far, Mayer is off to a scorching hot start at the plate. Through 55 plate appearances, Mayer holds a .314 batting average to go along with seven RBI, four doubles, two stolen bases, and a home run. He also held a 10-game hit streak and recorded a walk-off base hit in Friday’s 3-2 win.
Mayer had spoken shortly after last season about how the shoulder had effected him at the plate. So far, the shortstop looks like a completely different hitter than what he showed during his time at AA in 2023.
“I feel so much better, I feel good,” Mayer said. “I think I’m in a good spot physically and mentally. It’s good to not be playing with pain.”
As Mayer does feel better at the plate and continues to work on cutting down on the swing and miss, he realizes he can not carry the same approach at the plate each at-bat.
“Everyone’s going to attack you differently, so I think it varies,” Mayer said. “I think good hitters are good at adjusting on a pitch to pitch basis, so it really just depends. I’m trying to hit a ball that’s in the heart of the zone and if it’s not there, I’m trying to take it.”
Health plays a big factor in Mayer’s development, but he knows there are still boxes to check.
“The goal is to be a big leaguer, that’s what I’m striving for every day,” Mayer said.
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