Marcelo Mayer's Spring Debut Date Revealed for Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox is looking to earn a job.

Jun 11, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Marcelo Mayer (39) celebrates with Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (10) during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

If you're a Boston Red Sox fan waiting to see Marcelo Mayer in action for a Spring Training game, you won't have to wait much longer.

MassLive.com's Christopher Smith reported on Tuesday that Mayer will start for the club on Friday against the Atlanta Braves at second base.

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"Marcelo Mayer will appear in his first spring training game for the Red Sox on Friday," Smith wrote. "He’ll start at second base, manager Alex Cora said. Mayer is competing for a spot on the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster. While he’s likely to be in Cincinnati when the Boston opens the 2026 regular season against the Reds on March 26, Cora said it’s not a given. He needs to earn the job.

The Red Sox infielder will get a shot on Friday

Jul 10, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Marcelo Mayer (39) reacts to hitting a one run RBI against the Tampa Bay Rays during the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

"The 23-year-old missed the final 58 games of the 2025 regular season with a wrist injury that required surgery Aug. 20. Mayer was slightly behind because of the surgery, but he’s ready to go."

There have been multiple questions around Mayer so far in Spring Training. Second base and third base are up in the air, so there has been chatter about where he and Caleb Durbin could end up playing for the club in 2026. Durbin has been getting most of his looks at third base while Mayer has been manning second base. The fact that his first start of the spring will be at second base certainly doesn't seem to be a coincidence.

He hasn't played in a game yet, but that hasn't been concerning. Mayer said himself that he likely wasn't going to be playing the first couple of games.

"I think I won’t be playing for a few days," Mayer said "I've still got to take some live BPs, hit off the Trajekt, a little bit, kind of get my wrist exposed to that stuff. My wrist is in a great spot, but they want me to do that first before I jump into games.”

Regardless, we should see Mayer in action on Friday as he attempts to win a starting job out of camp.