Ever since the Boston Red Sox selected Marcelo Mayer with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, it’s been a matter of when and not if he becomes a star at the MLB level. Now, he’s in his second season but still hasn’t taken off the way fans have hoped.
The first two years of Mayer’s professional career have been noted for injuries and position changes. However, when healthy, Mayer has been excellent with the glove. Baseball Savant has him in the 83rd percentile for defensive range, even if his arm strength needs work. His bat, on the other hand, still needs work.
Mayer is well aware there’s room for improvement. He recently emphasized this point, and the effort he is putting in to play at the highest possible level.
“I have the highest standards for myself I possibly can,” Marcelo Mayer said, per The Boston Globe. “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.”
Despite that, Mayer has struggled with the bat. According to Baseball Savant, he’s in just the 19th percentile for batting run value. That’s in a year where he’s hitting .214 with a .277 OBP, .300 slugging percentage, and .577 OPS. Those numbers are down from his rookie season, but he wasn’t exactly tearing the cover off the ball in 2025 either.
Offense Has Been the Major Concern for Marcelo Mayer Since Joining the Boston Red Sox
GettyBoston Red Sox infielder Marcelo Mayer
There’s no debate that batting has been the major concern for Marcelo Mayer since he got to the Boston Red Sox. Mayer knows that and is working toward improving on that side of the ball.
“Obviously, I want to hit better,” Mayer said. “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.”
There’s a major concern that’s been building up for Mayer now. His inability to hit changeups, a pitch he’s now hitting just .029 against. On top of that, he’s 2 for 34 on pitches near or just below the bottom of the strike zone. It’s a weakness that teams are starting to exploit, and he needs to adjust to it.
“Obviously, it hasn’t gone the way that I wanted offensively so far, but it’s early,” Mayer said. “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. “Obviously, it hasn’t gone the way that I wanted offensively so far, but it’s early. 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
There have been some concerns that Mayer was rushed through the farm system, as the Red Sox have struggled to find answers offensively. That has made developing tougher on young players like Mayer. Now, he’ll need to quickly figure it out at the MLB with almost the entire Red Sox lineup struggling and a change at hitting coach earlier in the season.
Marcelo Mayer is Moving to Shortstop for the Red Sox
GettyMarcelo Mayer fielding a ground ball with the Boston Red Sox
Throughout the 2026 season, the Red Sox have been committed to a defensive alignment where Marcelo Mayer plays second base and Trevor Story plays shortstop. That’s despite Mayer being a shortstop by nature.
Things are changing now, though, and an injury that will have Story out for the foreseeable future forced the Red Sox to move Mayer off second and over to shortstop. He got his first action there on Sunday.
“Approach it the same as I would any other position,” Mayer said after the game. “Just gonna go out there, do my best, try to help the team win. When I’m out there, just letting the instincts take over, whether it’s at short, second, or third.”
Mayer went 1 for 4 with 1 RBI in his first game at shortstop. The weather didn’t help matters, with the rain turning Fenway Park into a pit of cold mud. Still, it was the first game in what Boston hopes can become the future for their team defensively.
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