The Boston Red Sox just made more roster cuts on Thursday morning, optioning infielders Nick Sogard, Tsung-Che Cheng, and top-15 prospect Mikey Romero back to Triple-A Worcester, per Ian Browne on MLB.com.
This can only mean one thing: Marcelo Mayer is making the major league roster to start the 2026 season.
For a player who was struggling with injuries throughout his professional career, 2026 is bound to be a huge bounce-back for Mayer. In 2022, he suffered a right wrist injury that lingered throughout the debut season of his professional career.
In 2023, he suffered shoulder inflammation on Aug. 3 that initially placed him on the 7-day IL, but it got to the point where he never played another game that season. In 2024, he suffered a lumbar strain shortly after getting promoted to Triple-A Worcester, and it ended his season.
Then, just last year in 2025, he was put on the IL after feeling discomfort in that same wrist he injured back in 2022. He received cortisone shots originally in 2022 and tried to do the same in 2025. However, after trying to get an anti-inflammatory injection shot to hopefully get him back on the field, he soon realized he couldn't put it off much longer. He decided on season-ending wrist surgery.
The Time is Now for Top Red Sox Prospect Marcelo Mayer
When camp started this February, Mayer went on record saying that he feels as "strong as ever", per Tim Healey on the Boston Globe. The only concern was if he was going to hit lefties.
He hit only .154 against left-handed pitching in his rookie season in 2025, and it was something that Alex Cora kept tabs on this offseason. He wanted to test Mayer this Spring, wanting him to "earn" the second base spot for the upcoming 2026 season.
So far, he's been much more disciplined and patient at the plate than he was last year. While he's only had six hits in 26 at-bats, he's had eight walks and eight strikeouts in 11 games played, which is a good strikeout/walk ratio.
But let's not get this twisted. There's still much more improvement and seasoning needed for Mayer. But this season is the time to do so. He showed flashes last year, especially in his multi-home run performance against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on June 12th last year.
With everything falling in line the right way (at least in Mayer's perspective), it seems like he's all but set to start second base on Opening Day.