The Boston Red Sox’s middle infield depth surplus has often been called a “logjam.” Trevor Story, Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Ceddanne Rafaela, Romy González, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer will all need roster spots at some point next season, and some of their positions are up in the air.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow clarified that Rafaela will spend most of his time in the outfield this coming season and González can play almost anywhere. Boston is still left with plenty of infielders and potentially more coming if it’s still in on free agent third baseman Alex Bregman.
Alex Cora, who formerly coached Bregman during their time with the Astros, said he always imagined the veteran as a second baseman. The Red Sox have targeted Bregman as a second baseman, and if he signs, their middle infield depth will increase for another five to seven years.
To put all their bats to good use, the Red Sox plan to increase Mayer’s defensive versatility, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive. The 22-year-old is a shortstop by trade, but he’ll get some innings at second and third base this year to increase flexibility in Cora’s lineup.
Red Sox will give Marcelo Mayer reps at second and third base as well as his usual shortstop
Alex Cora said the plan is for Marcelo Mayer to be more versatile, working at second base and third base. He did play third base once at Portland when Trevor Story was on a rehab assignment and played SS
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) January 11, 2025
Story is under contract until 2029 (it’s highly unlikely he exercises the opt-out before the 2026 season), and he’ll be Boston’s starting shortstop as long as it’s desperate for his right-handed bat in the lineup and he’s healthy. Mayer could slot in at second or third base — wherever Bregman or Rafael Devers isn’t playing — to keep Story’s elite defense in place while he earns valuable big league reps early in his career.
Mayer never appeared in Triple-A alongside Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell last season due to an injury that prematurely ended his year. Regardless of whether he begins in the 2025 slate in Portland or Worcester, it’ll probably be at least a few months before Sox fans see him don a Red Sox uniform since he’s never played a Triple-A game. He’ll have plenty of time to hone his newfound defensive versatility before he’s thrown into a major league game.
If the young infielder continues his offensive success from 2024, he may not need to be in the minor leagues for too long. He batted .307/.370/.480 with a .850 OPS over 77 games for Portland. The back injury that ended his 2024 campaign early is expected to be cleared up by spring training.
