Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer to see game action Friday; offers 'good instincts' at shortstop
Red Sox top infield prospect Marcelo Mayer spent a lot of time at third base on Wednesday. He took drills primarily over at the hot corner after spending the last few days at shortstop.
It’s no surprise that Mayer is seeing time at other infield positions. The Red Sox are planning to create more versatility for him to help create an easier path to the big league roster.
Alex Cora has been impressed with Mayer since the start of camp, giving him high praise on Wednesday afternoon.
“Mayer plays the part,” Cora said to reporters on Wednesday at JetBlue Park. “He’s really good at shortstop. Smooth, good intuition, good instincts. For how tall he is, he moves with grace over there—old-school, kind of like a shortstop. He’s really good."
The 22-year-old is not expected to break camp with the Red Sox and should begin the year with the WooSox. While in Worcester, he will play off shortstop, seeing time at both second base and third base.
“I think he has the ability and maturity to be an all-the-way-around infielder,” Red Sox infield instructor Jose Flores said about Mayer at Fenway Fest in Boston. “That being said, no doubt that he can play the left side of the field. Obviously, second base will probably be a position that will be a little bit more awkward for him to learn on a faster pace just because it’s his blind side when turning double plays and all that. And it’s a little bit different. But it’s something that I know for a fact that he can pick up really fast. No doubt.”
Flores got to see Mayer up close in Worcester following his promotion to the WooSox. Despite not seeing any game action, before Mayer was shut down by the time, he completed infield work and took batting practice almost daily at Polar Park.
The Calif. native has been exclusively a shortstop while in the Red Sox system with the exception of playing two games at the hot corner. He was a promoted in August but a lumbar strain prevented him from playing in games.
The 22-year-old initially injured himself on July 30 with what the Portland Sea Dogs described as hip soreness. Mayer hit .307/.370/.480 with 8 homers and 28 doubles in 77 games with Portland.
Mayer is expected to play shortstop in Friday afternoon’s exhibition against Northeastern University. Fellow top prospect Kristian Campbell will be at second base, potentially showcasing what a double play combination could look like for Worcester, if Campbell fails to make the Opening Day roster.
