The Boston Red Sox will be without Trevor Story for a while after his recent surgery for a sports hernia. Interim manager Chad Tracy announced that Marcelo Mayer will get a chance to switch positions. Mayer has been playing second base this season, but he might start at shortstop soon.
Tonight, Mayer is still at second base for the opener against the Twins. He’s working with bench coach José David Flores to sharpen his skills at shortstop. The team is hopeful he’ll make his first MLB start at that position on Sunday.
Mayer was the fourth overall pick in 2021 and played shortstop throughout his minor league career. Many experts believed that despite his height and average speed, he could excel there due to his strong instincts and arm. However, he has only played a few innings at shortstop in the majors, mostly during late-game situations.
Last year, he stepped up as the primary third baseman while Alex Bregman was injured but had to switch to second base when Bregman returned. Unfortunately, a wrist injury sidelined Mayer for the rest of that season.
In his first full MLB season, the Red Sox continued to place Mayer at second base. Initially, the plan was to move him back to third while Caleb Durbin played second. But with Durbin’s strong defense—despite his struggles at the plate—Tracy kept Mayer at second.
So far, Mayer’s performance at bat hasn’t been stellar. He’s batting .221 with only two home runs across 146 plate appearances. The entire Boston infield, not including Willson Contreras, has struggled offensively.
Interestingly, Story’s own season started poorly, with a .206 batting average. Mayer’s move to shortstop means second base will likely see a mix of utility players like Nick Sogard, Andruw Monasterio, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Sogard started at shortstop tonight and has begun taking third base reps, too.
The Sox have an exciting prospect, Franklin Arias, who’s a top shortstop in the minors, but he’s currently playing at Double-A, so he won’t affect the team in the short term.
In the grand scheme of things, Mayer’s position change reflects the adaptability teams require throughout a long season. Injuries can lead to opportunities that might shape a player’s career path. As we watch Mayer’s journey, fans are keen to see if he can prove his worth at shortstop, a position he’s trained for but hasn’t fully embraced in the big leagues yet.
For more updates on player injuries and team strategies, you can check MLB’s official website.
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