Red Sox Sleeper Projected to Make Opening Day Roster Over Marcelo Mayer

How will the infield battle shake out?

May 24, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox helmet lays in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

It's hard not to read into the Boston Red Sox's messaging around former first-round infielder Marcelo Mayer.

Last week, manager Alex Cora made it a point to tell the media that Mayer had to earn his spot on the opening day roster, coming off a 44-game rookie season where he impressed defensively at third base, but struggled to get on base before sustaining a significant injury for the fourth-straight season.

Couple that with Mayer's delayed start to the spring, as he's still hitting off the Trajekt machine due to his recovery from offseason wrist surgery, and it's not crazy to think Boston might start him off in Triple-A even if it believes he will eventually win a starting job.

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Will Nick Sogard take Mayer's spot for opening day?

Jun 28, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Nick Sogard (20) hits an RBI single during the sixth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

On Wednesday, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe projected Boston's opening day roster, and the insider guessed that the 23-year-old would be optioned to Worcester to start the year, with Nick Sogard taking over what most would agree would be the final spot on the bench.

Andruw Monasterio, who came over in the trade with the Milwaukee Brewers on Feb. 9, was Abraham's opening day second baseman, with fellow newcomer Caleb Durbin, who is a borderline lock to start, playing third.

Long-term, Mayer's development matters more to the Red Sox than Sogard's immediate impact. But the versatile, switch-hitting Sogard also hasn't truly been given a chance to stick on the major league roster for more than a month or so to this point.

Though he doesn't have a major league home run yet, Sogard has impressed situationally, including a clutch pinch-hit double against the Arizona Diamondbacks, a walk-off fielder's choice in September against the Athletics, and a momentum-shifting double in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees.

It wouldn't be the worst thing by any means to have Sogard on the opening day roster, but the question would quickly become what was "wrong" with Mayer, and what he'd need to do to get back in the team's good graces.