Marcelo

Mayer

Speier mentioned that “When his efforts to return to the field plateaued, further medical evaluation led to the diagnosis of a lumbar strain.” Mayer is rehabbing in Fort Myers and is expected to have a normal offseason, but this is now the second season that has been cut short by injury for the 21-year-old. Mayer was recently promoted to Triple-A Worcester along with the Red Sox’s other top prospects but never saw the field due to this back injury. The Red Sox top prospect, and number five prospect overall according to MLB Pipeline, finishes the season with a .307/.370/.480 slash line in 335 plate appearances at Double-A Portland with eight home runs and 13 steals. He figures to start 2025 in Triple-A with a chance to debut with the Red Sox by the summer.

Mayer has yet to appear in a game for Triple-A Worcester since being promoted earlier this month and is now officially on the minor league injured list. The 21-year-old top prospect battled a similar injury earlier this season, but it doesn’t sound like a serious concern. All indications are the Red Sox are merely exercising an abundance of caution with one of their potential future franchise cornerstones.

WooSox manager, former big leaguer Chad Tracy, told reporters Tuesday that he hopes Mayer will be ready to make his debut next week, but the club doesn’t want to rush him until he’s back to 100 percent physically. The 21-year-old top prospect was promoted to Triple-A over the weekend after a strong performance at Double-A Portland to open the year.

Mayer, 21, has had an outstanding season at Double-A Portland, slashing .307/.370/.480 with eight homers, 38 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 77 games. He’s now just one step away from helping out the Red Sox at the big-league level. It’s unlikely that any of the trio will debut with the Red Sox before the end of the 2024 season though.

Mayer is back in action for the first time since July 30 after recovering from left shoulder inflammation. It’s a significant development that he’s healthy after his on-field performance was adversely impacted last year by playing through a lingering shoulder issue. The 21-year-old’s long-term fantasy outlook is back trending in the right direction this season as he’s posted an .850 OPS with eight homers and 13 steals across 335 plate appearances for Double-A Portland.

The Red Sox top prospect seemed likely to get a promotion to Triple-A Worcester but instead will take a detour to the injured list. He suffered a hip injury in Tuesday’s game and then missed the game on Wednesday before the team decided to put him on the IL. A team source has said that they only expect him to need the minimum stint, which would be good news. The 21-year-old was elevated to MLB Pipeline’s seventh overall prospect in their mid-season rankings and could be a full-time starter for the Red Sox at some point in 2025.

Mayer has put together a resurgent season after last year’s injury-marred campaign, batting .309 (87-for-282) with eight homers and 13 steals through 72 contests for Double-A Portland. The 21-year-old top prospect could wind up being one of the biggest names moved at next week’s trade deadline if the Red Sox are intent on making a significant acquisition and refuse to deal fellow top prospect Roman Anthony.

He’s expected back on Tuesday. Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, is hitting an impressive .307/.371/.479 in Double-A this year.

Mayer was universally-regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball before attempting to play through a lingering shoulder issue last year, which seriously impacted his on-field performance. The 21-year-old has gotten off to an excellent start this season in his second chance at the Double-A level, batting .366 (15-for-41) with one homer and two steals in 10 games. It’s an extremely small sample size, but it’s hard to ignore his early success.

It’s been a disappointing offseason for Red Sox fans, but they’re in for a treat this weekend as the Fenway faithful will get a glimpse of the big three prospects who represent the next wave of impact homegrown talent. Anthony skyrocketed up prospect lists last year, while Mayer battled a shoulder issue and struggled in his first stint at Double-A Portland. Teel might arrive in the majors first out of this trio, despite just being drafted last summer out of the University of Virginia.