Red Sox's Alex Cora Reveals Where Marcelo Mayer Stands for Opening Day

Still work to be done, or locked up?

Jun 24, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (39) loses control of the ball for the throw to first against Los Angeles Angels center fielder Jo Adell (7). during the seventh inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have high hopes for Marcelo Mayer this season, but there's still some prevailing uncertainty about his role as of opening day.

Coming off a 44-game rookie season in which he struggled at the plate and suffered a year-ending wrist injury, Mayer had plenty to prove early in camp -- and manager Alex Cora made that clear. But he's looked stellar thus far, showing increased physicality and speed and swinging one of the liveliest bats in camp.

With 2 1/2 weeks to go before the season begins on the road in Cincinnati, many had begun to worry if Mayer had already done enough to earn his starting job. Manager Alex Cora gave a brief update on Sunday

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How Cora feels about Mayer's opening day status

Jul 2, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Matt McLain (9) steals second past Boston Red Sox third baseman Marcelo Mayer (39) during the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Though he was complimentary of the work Mayer had done in the first few weeks of spring training, Cora reiterated that the 23-year-old had yet to be rubber-stamped for a starting job.

"I think he's doing a good job," Cora said, per Sean McAdam of MassLive. "That doesn't mean that he'll break camp with us, but we've been happy with the progression."

Mayer's game action in spring training has been minimal thus far. His first appearance came last Friday, and he made a loud impression with a home run against Atlanta Braves reliever Raisel Iglesias. On the whole, he was 2-for-10 with an .833 OPS entering play on Sunday.

What's impressed the Red Sox, though, has been Mayer's increased athleticism. He's made some fantastic plays at second base, which may well be his defensive home for the year. He's been one of the fastest position players on the roster, and many of his teammates are talking about him as though he's going to steal a bunch of bases this season.

It's not abnormal for Cora to slow-play things with young players. He waited until the last few days before the opener last year to name Kristian Campbell the starter at second. But Mayer looks to be in a great spot as long as he can keep flexing his offseason improvements.