Marcelo

Mayer

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.

Mayer’s opposite-field double off the Ft. Myers version of the Green Monster failed to score Joe Dunand from first, but Dunand did come around on a subsequent groundout. It was a little surprising Mayer didn’t get an invitation to major league spring training this year, but the top prospect is coming off shoulder surgery and the Red Sox didn’t want to rush him back. He’s likely to return to Double-A to begin the year. While fighting the shoulder, he hit just .189/.254/.355 in 43 games there last year. He was far better in high-A at the beginning of the season, batting .290/.366/.524 in 35 games.

Mayer’s long-term prospect stock tumbled last year as he attempted to play through a painful left (non-throwing) shoulder injury at Double-A Portland, which adversely impacted his on-field performance, before being shut down in the late stages of the season due to shoulder inflammation. The 21-year-old top prospect has progressed to hitting off a tee and will soon begin facing live pitching. He’s not expected to have any physical restrictions entering spring training. If he’s fully healthy, he has a chance to re-establish himself as one of the top prospects in baseball. He’s the textbook definition of a buy-low candidate for fantasy managers in keeper and dynasty league formats.

Mayer has been sidelined since Aug. 2 with inflammation in his left (non-throwing) shoulder. The fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft hit .290/.366/.524 in 35 games in high-A ball before stumbling in Double-A and coming in at .189/.254/.355 in 43 games. Still just 20 years old, he projects as Boston’s shortstop of the future.

The 20-year-old shortstop has struggled since he was promoted to Double-A Portland. He slashed .189/.254/.355 with six homers over 190 plate appearances with Double-A Portland. Moving from High-A to Double-A is seen as the most difficult jump in the minors, but this shoulder injury could also be part of the reason for his underwhelming performance this summer.

White, who made his major-league debut earlier this season for a contending Rangers’ squad, will toe the rubber in Seattle with a pretty sensational lineup behind him. Here’s the full order: Jonatan Clase (SEA) CF, Marcelo Mayer (BOS) SS, Heston Kjerstad (BAL) RF, Harry Ford (SEA) C, Lawrence Butler (OAK) LF, Junior Caminero (TB) 3B, Tyler Soderstrom (OAK) 1B, Justyn-Henry Malloy (DET) DH and Nick Yorke (BOS) 2B.

Mayer will be joined by Mariners OF prospect Jonatan Clase and Rangers RHP prospect Owen White as the first three selections to the junior circuit’s roster. The rest of the selections will be revealed later this evening. The 20-year-old shortstop is universally-regarded as a top-15 prospect in baseball and has batted .250/.327/.487 with 12 homers and eight steals this season between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland.

The 20-year-old shortstop surprisingly fell to the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft after there had been rumblings that he’d be the top overall selection. It’s looking like three teams may regret letting him slide. Mayer slashed .291/.365/.532 with seven homers, 33 RBI and four stolen bases in 34 games at High-A Greenville to earn his promotion. It won’t be long before we see him in Fenway.