Red Sox's Marcelo Mayer Still Nowhere Near Where He Wants to Be

The Boston Red Sox have a lot of room for growth right now, to say the least.

Boston is 22-30 on the season so far and is in last place in the American League East. The Red Sox showed signs of life towards the end of last week with a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals, but took a step back by getting swept by the Minnesota Twins in a three-game series.

The Red Sox's offense has been the club's biggest issue, but there are ways for it to get better internally. For example, Marcelo Mayer has been great defensively, but his bat hasn't fully gotten going in the majors yet. So far this season, Mayer is slashing .214/.277/.300 with a .577 OPS, two homers, 11 RBIs, three stolen bases, 11 walks and six doubles in 47 games played. He's in the 83rd percentile in outs above average and is shifting over to shortstop, but his bat hasn't been at the level as it was down in the minors.

He's not the only one in the Red Sox's lineup struggling offensively, of course. He took full ownership of his early struggles as well, as shared by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

The Red Sox Infielder Is Trying To Turn Things Around

May 17, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (11) runs to the dugout after the end of the inning against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

"I have the highest standards for myself I possibly can,” Mayer said, as transcribed by Speier. “Whatever people’s standards are of me, mine are higher — trust me. As players, as athletes, we all want to perform to the best level that we’re capable of, and that we know we can. When you’re not [doing that], it gets frustrating. Obviously, I want to hit better.

"I’ve always prided myself on hitting, and I feel like people right now know me as a defense-first guy, when that’s not really who I’ve ever been. My defense has just been that much better than my bat, and that’s what people see. We all want to be really good right [away]. But looking back in my [minor league] career, I’ve always struggled going up to new levels."

That's the right mindset to have. He hasn't been great offensively, but this is a 23-year-old with all of the upside in the world. Clearly, he isn't complacent and is working his way through these early struggles.

Arguably, there really aren't any major causes for concern with Mayer yet as well. Last season, he played in 43 games with Triple-A Worcester and slashed .271/.347/.471 with an .818 OPS, nine homers and 43 RBIs. Overall, Mayer has played in 315 games down in the minors and has slashed .273/.360/.466 with an .826 OPS, 46 homers and 205 RBIs. Right now, he has played in just 91 total games in the majors in his career. He's going to be just fine in the long run. It takes time to adjust to the big leagues and, again, he's just 23 years old. There's no need for concern right now, Red Sox fans. Mayer will be just fine.

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