Red Sox's Marcelo Mayer Breaks Silence as Roster Battle Begins

The Boston Red Sox are fortunate to have Marcelo Mayer and now he'll have a chance to show why.

Jun 14, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Marcelo Mayer (39) tracks a pop fly during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

There's a lot to like about Boston Red Sox infielder Marcelo Mayer.

Mayer is a guy Boston fans have been clamoring to see for years at this point. He was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft after Boston's brutal 2020 season. In the grand scheme of things, a terrible 60-game run isn't so bad when it leads to a guy like Mayer coming to town.

Last year at this time, Mayer was seemingly the forgotten member of the "Big 3." Roman Anthony was anointed as the No. 1 prospect in baseball and Kristian Campbell had an inside track to a big league spot. Mayer, thanks in large part to injuries down in the minors, seemingly lost a bit of momentum. Let's not forget, though, there was a time when Mayer was the No. 1-ranked prospect, even over Anthony. When he was drafted, he immediately was viewed as the team's long-term answer at shortstop.

The young infielder is ready to roll

Jun 24, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (39) fields the single of 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

Now, a few years later, Mayer is 23 years old and has a real shot at landing an everyday opportunity in the big leagues in 2026 after a cup of coffee in the majors last year. He sounds ready for the opportunity as well, as transcribed by The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey.

"Obviously this year, I’m coming in with Show experience,” Mayer said, as transcribed by McCaffrey. “So it’s a little different, but I’m seeing it the same way. I feel like I still got to earn a job. I’m not Trevor Story. I don’t have a position stamp that I’m going to be playing Opening Day. For me, I feel like I still need to win a job, and I feel like (the team has) made that clear. ...

"The second I got home, I got to work because I knew there was no time to waste,” he said. “I wanted to come in, in really good shape. And I think I did a really good job.”

Mayer will make his spring debut on Friday at second base and batting sixth in the Boston lineup.

Friday road trip! pic.twitter.com/7y61w0YFPY

— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 27, 2026

While there has been a bit of odd discourse around Mayer throughout Spring Training, the opportunity is there for the taking. On Friday, he'll start to have a chance to the team and the fanbase what he can do with under a month to go until Opening Day.