BOSTON — Marcelo Mayer won’t be playing much third base for the Red Sox anymore with Alex Bregman set to be activated from the injured list as early as Friday.
But if the gifted 22-year-old can deliver the type of key swing he did with the game on the line on Thursday, manager Alex Cora will find ways to keep him in the lineup.
With questions swirling about Mayer’s near-term role, MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 Red Sox prospect (No. 6 overall) picked a fine time to come through with what Cora described as the left-handed hitter’s best at-bat of the season, which helped key the surging Red Sox to a 4-3 comeback win over the Rays. The victory extended Boston’s winning streak to a season-high of seven games.
His team trailing 3-1 in the seventh, Mayer looked at a first-pitch changeup from Tampa Bay’s newly-acquired reliever Bryan Baker for a strike. Then he took control of the count by looking at two more changeups.
Baker delivered a fastball with his next offering, and Mayer shot it perfectly into the gap in left-center at an exit velocity of 108.7 mph for an RBI double that enlivened the crowd of 31,884 at Fenway Park.
“Probably Marcelo’s best at-bat of the season, just taking pitches and shooting the ball the other way,” said Cora. “It was a big one, but we trust him. He’s a good hitter. Like I told him, it feels like sometimes he rushes into the at-bat, like the first [at-bat], a cutter, a pitch that probably he’s not looking for, and he hits the groundball to first. But in that one, he was patient enough, and was able to get a pitch that he was able to handle and hit it hard.”
Did Mayer agree that was “probably” the best at-bat of his young career?
“As far as coming through for the team in a big opportunity, I think it’s definitely up there.” Mayer said.
With a compact swing, Mayer is at his best when he is lacing the ball to the opposite-field gap.
“I think so,” said Mayer. “I think that just allows me to see the ball a bit more, and makes me be able to spit at offspeed pitches. I think when I’m there, my approach is at my best.”
Mayer got his initial opportunity to come to the Major Leagues on May 24, the day Bregman was placed on the injured list with a right quad injury.
Now, Mayer will get a chance to play with Bregman. One way he’ll be able to get playing time is at second base against right-handed pitchers. A natural shortstop, Mayer can play three infield spots. At some point, Cora expects Mayer to be able to play a fourth. His defense is razor sharp, wherever he is standing.
“He’s probably going to play first [at some point], to be honest with you. He’s that good defensively,” said Cora. “He understands the game. He sees the games differently. And it’s real. He doesn’t panic. That’s the part of the game that I’m really impressed with.
“Great defender. His internal clock is up there with the best of them. Offensively, he’s still learning. He puts the ball in play; he understands what he needs to do. And little by little, he’s feeling more comfortable. But defensively, he’s a stud.”
Though the defense is ahead of the offense at this point, the Red Sox wouldn’t have taken Mayer with the fourth pick in the 2021 Draft without full confidence in his bat.
When the occasion called for it on Thursday, Mayer embraced the chance to come through when it mattered.
“Anytime you’re put in that situation as a player, you want to come through. I think I just did a good job of not trying to do too much, putting the ball in play,” Mayer said. “You go up there with an approach and you do your best to kind of slow the game down, and stick to your approach, get a good pitch to hit, and I was able to execute today.”
Up next stepped the scorching-hot Ceddanne Rafaela, who came through with a two-run single to center to give the Red Sox their first lead since the fourth inning.
At a point Boston is leaning into a youth movement, all four RBIs in Thursday’s win game from players 24 and younger in Roman Anthony (Red Sox No. 1 prospect), Mayer and Rafaela.
“We’ve just been throwing up really good at bats,” said Mayer. “Today, it was Rafaela, Roman and I. But I think any given day, our bats are really hot right now, and anyone can help the team win.”