Boston Red Sox Set to Lose Talented Rookie to Injury For Remainder of Season

The Boston Red Sox, who enter play on Sunday in a tie for the first wild card spot in the American League playoff race, will have to play the rest of the season without talented rookie Marcelo Mayer, who will undergo wrist surgery.

Rob Bradford of WEEI had the information on social media and he reports that Mayer will take three months to recover. This means that he should be ready to go by the time spring training rolls around in February of 2026. There had been talk of Mayer representing Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, but it's unclear how this affects those plans. The WBC begins in March of 2026.

Alex Cora says Marcelo Mayer will have wrist surgery. Be a three month recovery
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) August 17, 2025

A top-ten prospect in baseball at the time of his promotion in May, Mayer hit .228 this season with four home runs and 10 RBIs. He also carried a .272 on-base percentage and a .674 OPS.

Mayer was a first-round pick of the Red Sox in 2021 out of the California high school ranks. In his absence, the Red Sox have utilized Ceddanne Rafaela and Romy Gonzalez at second base. Alex Bregman has been playing third base.

There's no assurances as to where Mayer will play for Boston in 2026. If Bregman opts-out of his contract and leaves in free agency, third base will be open, but if Bregman returns in any form, Mayer may have to look at second again.

The Red Sox will finish out the series on Sunday with the Miami Marlins having taken the first two games.

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