How Alex Cora Reacted To Marcelo Mayer’s Dazzling Performance

The best piece of evidence that Marcelo Mayer can point to as to why he should make the Opening Day roster of the Boston Red Sox came Thursday.

The 22-year-old infield prospect shone the brightest out of anyone on the field in an exhibition matchup against the Detroit Tigers. Mayer went 3-for-3 as he came up a double short of the cycle, and he also drove in three runs as part of his standout performance.

Mayer certainly wasn’t fazed by facing big-league pitching talent in the contest. He got his outing started by raking a triple off longtime MLB starter Jack Flaherty and then took veteran right-hander Kenta Maeda deep to right field in the fifth inning for a two-run home run.

Mayer’s composure — even if it was a spring training game — going up against accomplished pitchers stood out to Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

“You can tell the moment is not big. He’s very comfortable in the environment,” Cora told reporters, per WEEI’s Rob Bradford. “He’s a good player. I truly believe, I was talking to (game planning and run prevention coach Jason Varitek), the higher the level the better he is going to be.”

Despite the stellar showing, it’s hard to envision Mayer starting the season in the big leagues, which begins exactly one month from Thursday. Mayer faces a roadblock at shortstop in Trevor Story and while Mayer played third against the Tigers, the Red Sox are leaving the hot corner to either Alex Bregman or Rafael Devers. But Mayer showed he certainly belongs in the conversation after a terrific 5-for-11 start to his spring.

Some of the shine came off Mayer in the past couple of seasons due to injuries. He had his 2023 campaign come to a premature end due to a shoulder injury and he was immediately sidelined due to hip and back issues upon his promotion to Triple-A Worcester last season.

Mayer did hit .307 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs in 77 games for Double-A Portland in 2024, but that stat line faded into the background thanks to Roman Anthony’s ascension and Kristian Campbell’s meteoric rise. Prospect rankings reflected that too with Anthony and Campbell jumping ahead of Mayer, who was the fourth overall pick by the Red Sox in the 2021 MLB Draft.

But Thursday served as a good, and necessary, reminder that Mayer is still one of the best prospects in baseball with a bright future in the big leagues possibly on the horizon.

“Sometimes people don’t talk about him. Kind of like he’s the forgotten one,” Cora said. “He’s still a freaking good player. We’re going to move him around. He will play short (Friday). He’s going to keep getting at-bats. It’s fun to be around him, too.”