The Red Sox will be without Trevor Story for some time after the two-time All-Star underwent sports hernia surgery this week. Interim manager Chad Tracy said Friday that’ll spur a primary position change for Marcelo Mayer, who has been a full-time second baseman this season (link via Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic).
Mayer remains at second base for tonight’s series opener against the Twins. Tracy said the 23-year-old infielder is still ironing some things out in drills with interim bench coach/infield instructor José David Flores. The Sox are hoping to have Mayer make his first MLB start at shortstop on Sunday.
The fourth overall pick in 2021, Mayer was a shortstop throughout his minor league career. Most prospect evaluators felt he’d stick at the position despite his 6’3″ height and fringy speed. That was mostly a testament to his fluidity, instincts and arm strength — even if he’s unlikely to be the flashiest defender.
Mayer hasn’t had the opportunity to play shortstop at the major league level; he has three career innings there over two late-game appearances. His first MLB call last May came as the corresponding move for an Alex Bregman injured list placement. Mayer spent nearly two months as the primary third baseman while Bregman rehabbed a quad strain. He moved to second base when the veteran returned. Mayer himself went down with a wrist injury not long after and underwent season-ending surgery.
The Sox stuck with Mayer at the keystone for his first full MLB campaign. They’d initially given some thought to moving Mayer back to third while playing Caleb Durbin at second. Former skipper Alex Cora preferred Durbin at the hot corner. Tracy stuck with that arrangement, as Durbin has played excellent defense despite his lack of production at the dish.
Mayer hasn’t done a whole lot at the plate either. He’s hitting .221/.290/.313 across 146 plate appearances. Mayer has only connected on two home runs without hitting many line drives. He has played pretty well at second base but has been part of a Boston infield that, with the exception of Willson Contreras, hasn’t contributed offensively.
Story was also out to a very poor start (.206/.244/.303). Mayer’s move to shortstop will leave second base to a combination of utility players Nick Sogard, Andruw Monasterio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Sogard, who started at shortstop tonight, has also begun taking third base reps over Durbin. The Sox have one of the best shortstop prospects in the sport, Franklin Arias, but the 20-year-old is at Double-A and not a factor in the short term.
