The Red Sox made a surprise decision on Saturday, calling up one of baseball’s top prospects–infielder Marcelo Mayer–as third baseman Alex Bregman was put on the injured list with a quad injury. Mayer’s first game in place of Bregman was inauspicious, as he went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, but it represents what many hope will be a key moment in the future of the Red Sox.
Mayer joins rookie second baseman Kristian Campbell as two of what had been known as, “The Big Four,” Red Sox prospects to make it to Boston. Outfielder Roman Anthony, rated as the top prospect in baseball (Mayer was No. 6) is still in Triple-A Worcester. Catcher Kyle Teel was the centerpiece of the Red Sox’s trade for Garrett Crochet last offseason.
After the game, Mayer posted a photo of himself on the Fenway Park infield on Instagram, with the caption, “5/24/25. A day I’ll never forget… thank you to everyone that has helped me along this ride. Go Sox!”
Marcelo Mayer Gets Support Around MLB
Mayer’s post got reactions from Dodgers infielder Kike Hernandez, who spent two-plus seasons in Boston and was a playoff hero in 2021. “Congrats dude!” Hernandez wrote.
Former Red Sox farmhand Nick Yorke wrote, “Lfgggg.” And San Francisco Giants infielder Casey Schmitt wrote, “Let’s gooo!”
After the game, a 2-1 Red Sox loss, even with the rough showing at the plate, Mayer was excited.
“It’s awesome,” Mayer told reporters. “I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life. … It’s definitely something I will remember for the rest of my life. You just feel like a rush throughout your whole body, but at the same time, it’s kind of hard to take it in because you have to do a job.”
Red Sox Concerned Over Alex Bregman
While Mayer’s call-up was being celebrated, the looming storm cloud for Boston is the quad injury that Bregman suffered on Friday, when he pulled up at first base and immediately signaled to the dugout that he was hurt.
The injury was shown, via MRI, to be a severe quad strain. Bregman said it felt similar to the quad injury he suffered in 2021, which is especially bad news because he missed 58 games with that injury.
Manager Alex Cora said, “He’s going to be out for a while,” Cora said. “Hopefully, trust in our medical staff it’s sooner rather than later but he’s going to be out for a while.”
And Bregman added, “Yeah, it’s horrible. There’s nothing else to do but try to get better every single day, focus on the rehab and dominate that. Try to stack as many good days as possible.”
Bregman had been batting .299 with 11 homers and a.938 OPS. His absence will lead to more opportunity for Mayer, but his bat will be sorely missed.
