Both the way 22-year-old shortstop prospect Marcelo Mayer swings the bat and plays defense looks almost effortless to Red Sox first baseman Abraham Toro.
“It kind of looks nonchalant,” said Toro, who played with Mayer in Triple-A Worcester before his call-up May 3.
Toro compared Baseball America’s No. 8 overall prospect to a five-time All-Star shortstop.
“It’s so relaxed,” Toro said. “On the defensive side, he kind of reminds me of (Corey) Seager. It’s so loose and it’s like he’s not trying — and I’m not saying he’s not. That’s the feel.
“Even his swing, it looks like he’s not trying but like bat speed, I work out with him, it’s one of the best,” Toro added. “So that’s helped him to be successful.”
It’s not the first time someone has described Mayer’s play as effortless. Manager Alex Cora said during spring training he’s an “old-school shortstop” who “moves with grace.”
It’s also not the first time the 6-foot-3, 188-pound Mayer has been compared to Seager, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound left-handed hitter who has five defensive runs saved in 197 innings this season and 14 defensive runs saved since the start of 2023.
Assistant GM Paul Toboni, then Boston’s amateur scouting director, made the same comp when Boston drafted Mayer fourth overall in 2021.
“Probably some cross between Corey Seager, Brandon Crawford,” Toboni said almost four years ago. “But thinking back to it, probably more advanced. I keep saying it, but he’s got a really advanced feel to his game and ease to his game. I throw those two names out there not to really set expectations for him or anything. I say Seager because Marcelo does have a little bit of a bigger build.
“I say Brandon Crawford, because if you watch this kid take pregame ground balls, he’s one of the cockiest defenders I’ve ever seen in my life,” Toboni added. “I say that with a positive tone behind it. He’s flipping balls with his glove, catching balls through the legs and going behind the back. It’s not like he’s showing off. It’s just kind of his nature. It all comes pretty easy to him.”
The Red Sox appear to be creating a path to the majors for Mayer with Kristian Campbell working out at first base. If Campbell gets comfortable enough at first, Boston could move him there and promote Mayer to play second base. Cora said Tuesday that Campbell still has a lot of work to do to ready for games and won’t play first base on this homestand.
Mayer has started at second base in three of four games for Worcester since Campbell began working out at first base Friday.
Mayer had a 22-game on-base streak end May 11 and has slumped some recently. His OPS has dropped 66 points from .850 to .784 the past six games but he did have an RBI single in his final at-bat Tuesday. He leads the International League in RBIs (41). He’s tied for sixth in the league in home runs with eight.
His time is coming —whether it’s at second or shortstop.
It would be difficult to move on from Trevor Story because he has another two years, $55 million remaining on his contract after this season. That’s $25 million both in 2026 and ’27 and a $5 million buyout in 2028.
But how much longer can the Red Sox play Story every day with how he’s hitting? The 32-year-old entered Tuesday with the 22nd worst OPS (.617) among qualified major league hitters.
“He wanted to play a lot of games, more than 150, and I think he’s on pace to do that,” Cora said recently about Story. “But obviously I gotta be smart, too. Not only with the production, but also the body.”
Story has been an elite defender throughout his career but he’s not playing shortstop well enough right now to justify keeping him in the lineup every day despite his poor offense. He’s in the ninth percentile in outs above average/range (-3) and the 17th percentile in fielding run value (-2).
As MassLive’s Sean McAdam put it Sunday, the Red Sox can’t rely on Mayer and Roman Anthony to save their season.
Mayer has struggled at times this year at Worcester and there should be adjustment and growing pains once he reaches the majors (Campbell is 4-for-50 in May).
But Mayer’s time should be coming.
Roman Anthony has a .970 OPS
It’s becoming difficult for the Red Sox to justify keeping Roman Anthony, baseball’s No. 1 prospect, at Triple A.
Anthony blasted a 369-foot, 103.5 mph against a 95.9 mph sinker in Worcester’s 8-2 win over Durham on Tuesday.
He went 1-for-3 with two walks, two runs and a strikeout.
The 21-year-old is batting .322 with a .450 on-base percentage, .520 slugging percentage, .970 OPS, six homers, eight doubles, two triples, 18 RBIs, 33 runs, 37 walks and 38 strikeouts in 42 games (191 plate appearances).
Toro recently said about Anthony, “I don’t say this lightly — I think he’s the best minor league hitter I’ve ever seen.”
The Password homers in Triple-A debut
Outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia— also known by his popular nickname “The Password”— blasted a three-run home run (106.3 mph off the bat) in his Triple-A debut Tuesday.
The Red Sox promoted the 22-year-old from Double-A Portland on Sunday.
The other Garcia returns
Jhostynxon Garcia‘s brother Johanfran Garcia played in his first minor league game Tuesday since he underwent surgery for a major knee injury last May.
The 20-year-old went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run in the Florida Complex League Red Sox’ 3-1 win over the FCL Orioles.
Monegro has a 43.9% strikeout percentage
Righty Yordanny Monegro struck out 10 and allowed just three hits and one walk in 5 scoreless innings in Double-A Portland’s 4-3 win over Reading.
The 22-year-old Monegro has a 43.9% strikeout percentage (47 strikeouts, 107 batters faced)
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