Red Sox
“I know I had a really good spring, and the coaches know as well.”
WORCESTER — Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell have drawn plenty of attention as potential franchise stalwarts with the Red Sox.
But the first member of Boston’s famed “Big Three” prospect grouping in Marcelo Mayer shouldn’t be overlooked, either.
“I constantly try to remind people. Obviously, a tough finish the last few years, but he’s probably the best player I’ve ever seen, and he’s a special player,” Anthony said of Mayer. “It’s been funny to see the narrative kind of shift on him over the last two years. But I’ve always said, he’s a stud, and he’s gonna play in the big leagues for a long time.”
Kristian Campbell’s meteoric rise in Boston’s farm system landed him on Boston’s big-league roster Thursday as the first of the “Big Three” to cut his teeth in The Show. Anthony — still just 20 years old — is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in baseball by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.
But it was Mayer who initially entered Boston’s farm system with the highest pedigree, with the Red Sox taking the five-tool shortstop out of Eastlake High School with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft.
Mayer has validated that standing as a blue-chip prospect whenever he’s been on the field with Boston’s minor-league clubs — entering the 2025 campaign as MLB Pipeline’s No. 12 prospect.
The issue for Mayer, at times, has just been staying on the field.
In each of the last two seasons, Mayer’s progress both at the plate and in the field has been undercut by season-ending ailments.
A nagging shoulder injury hindered Mayer’s production in his first taste of Double-A competition with Portland in 2023 — eventually leading to him getting shut down for the year in early August of that season.
A clean bill of health allowed Mayer to bounce back with the Sea Dogs last summer — with the skilled shortstop batting .307 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, and 38 RBI over 77 games in Portland.
But a well-earned promotion to Triple-A Worcester in August didn’t result in Mayer logging any at-bats with the WooSox, as Mayer didn’t appear in a game after July 30 due to a lumbar strain.
As Anthony noted, those injury woes have shifted some of the discourse around Mayer and the hierarchy of Boston’s “Big Three” personnel.
But Mayer is not dwelling on rankings at this stage of his career — especially after letting his play do the talking this spring.
“I mean to me, that’s just all outside noise,” Mayer said. “Like I said, the way that I go about my business never changes, and I’m just staying ready always.”
For all of the talk of Mayer’s injury history and his lack of reps at Triple-A, he made a legitimate push for big-league reps straight out of camp this month — putting together the strongest spring out of the “Big Three” grouping.
In 20 Grapefruit League contests, Mayer batted .333 with one home run, two triples, 11 RBIs, six runs and eight walks — all while playing sound defense across the infield.
Mayer’s strong play prompted Alex Cora and Boston’s top brass to keep the prospect with the team for its two-game set in Mexico earlier this week — where he clubbed another home run at Estadio Mobil Super.
Despite Mayer’s strong play in spring, Campbell’s promotion — coupled with the presence of Trevor Story at shortstop — prompted Boston to send the infielder to Worcester to open the new season.
It was far from a surprising development given the current depth on Boston’s big-league roster, even if Mayer was candid on Friday about his current situation.
“As a player, and based on performance, I feel like I did earn a spot on that team,” Mayer said on WEEI’s “Jones & Keefe” when asked if he thought he deserved a shot on Boston’s roster. “With that being said, things are gonna go my way. And now I’m here, and you know, I’m just gonna get after it every single day. Keep doing what I’m doing.”
Mayer’s path through Boston’s farm system hasn’t been as fluid (or accelerated) as both Anthony and Campbell.
But Mayer — who plans on also logging reps at shortstop, second and third with Worcester — believes that greater returns are in store for him and the rest of the “Big Three” this summer.
“I think the biggest thing is just to keep doing what I’m doing,” Mayer said of the message from the Red Sox entering the new season. “I know I had a really good spring, and the coaches know as well. They recognize that. So for me, it’s just continuing to get better and staying ready for when my opportunity comes.”
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