How Marcelo Mayer Fared In First Taste Of Red Sox-Yankees Rivalry In Spring Training Debut
The Boston Red Sox's Grapefruit League matchup against the New York Yankees on Sunday brought more fanfare than usual.
Boston took on the New York Yankees to start the day in the first game of a doubleheader and to the surprise of Red Sox Nation, No. 1 prospect Marcelo Mayer made his spring training debut with the big league club.
The smooth-hitting 20-year-old entered the game at shortstop in the fifth inning and shined in his debut. His was smooth defensively and finished the day 1-for-2 from the plate with a double.
Mayer's first at-bat Sunday left something to be desired and he grounded out to shortstop on weak chopper. His second plate appearance was impressive and he smashed a low and outside breaking ball to the gap between left and center field to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning.
The young shortstop significantly more likely than not won't take the field with the Red Sox in 2023. He was solid in his first full professional season in 2022, but hasn't played at the Double-A level yet and is just 20 years old. If he's able to put together impressive campaign in 2023 then a Major League Baseball debut at some point in 2024 wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.
In the grand scheme of things a 1-for-2 day in spring training doesn't mean a whole lot, but seeing Mayer at the big league certainly is exciting. He likely is the future of the shortstop position for Boson and if he's able to continue to develop at the rate he has, then Sunday won't be the last time we see him face off against the rival Yankees wearing a Red Sox jersey.
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