Red Sox Change Course With Marcelo Mayer Post-Alex Cora

It sounds like the Boston Red Sox infielder is going to have a bigger role moving forward under Chad Tracy.

Apr 27, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (11) hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays on the second inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

One thing that has caught the attention of Boston Red Sox fans over the last few years was Alex Cora's tendency to platoon young players, especially lefties, early in their careers.

Most recently, we've seen that idea with young infielder Marcelo Mayer. But he isn't the only one. Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran didn't see a lot of time against lefties early in their careers, to name a few. This is a trend that was going on for years and fans didn't always love it.

With Cora out the door, it does sound like a change is coming, specifically for Mayer. He's been the subject of the conversation the most in 2026 and interim manager Chad Tracy was asked on Monday whether Mayer will be getting more time against lefties now. He made it clear that he does want that to be the case, as transcribed by Christopher Smith of MassLive.com.

Expect To See More Of Marcelo Mayer

Apr 27, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (11) celebrates in the dugout with team mates after scoring a run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

"I want to see Marcelo get some opportunities,” Tracy said, as transcribed by Smith. “I’m not saying that tonight if something comes up and there’s a favorable matchup that we wouldn’t do that. I’m not saying that Marcelo is going to start against Tarik Skubal every time. But if there’s opportunities that we feel like we can give him a little bit more of that, we may do that.”

This arguably is the right call. Mayer is 23 years old and is really starting to find his footing in the majors right now offensively. He's slashing .243/.316/.371 with a .688 OPS, one homer, seven RBIs, two stolen bases and six doubles in 25 games played. When Mayer is in the lineup, the club's defense is better right away because he's elite over at second base. Right now, he's in the 92nd percentile in outs above average.

The offense is starting to come and should get even better with consistent opportunities. The idea of platooning and focusing on favorable matchups has some merit. But then how does a young guy like Mayer learn if they're not seeing the top lefties in the game? Arguably, the platooning prolongs the process to actually get acquainted with the big league pitching. If you don't face an elite left-handed hurler for a year, when you finally do, it's going to be difficult.

So, right away, giving Mayer more time against lefties arguably is the right call from the interim manager.