From what was an inevitable choice, whether it was now or after the season, Marcelo Mayer has chosen to officially get surgery on his wrist, effectively ending any chance of him returning this season. It's also going to cost him millions of dollars when he's negotiating for a contract extension as well.
He decided to tough it out and get a cortisone shot to reduce the swelling, in hopes of still returning this season. He even returned to doing baseball activities. But surgery was an inevitability as many doctors made it their recommendation, and he will be doing so as of today.
Marcelo Mayer's rookie season comes to an end pic.twitter.com/24ChNp06K1
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 17, 2025
Red Sox Rookie SS Marcelo Mayer Undergoing Season-Ending Surgery
The No. 10 prospect in Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects List has struggled to stay on the field his entire professional career. This is a cause for concern because Mayer has missed a significant amount of time in three separate seasons already and continues to deal with injury problems.
It's understandable, he's an athlete, and the amount of training and stretching in the world can't stop it. The problem is that it's stalling his development and is causing trust issues with management.
In 2022, he had a TFCC wrist injury, the exact same injury that's on the same wrist this season as well. Mayer still had a healthy 2023 season and was soaring through the ranks in 2024 with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel. However, he suffered a lingering lumbar strain in his lower back that kept him out for the rest of the season. Funny enough, he was promoted to AAA Worcester shortly before and couldn't play a game.
Now, he's suffering the same injury to his wrist, and an injury will end his season for the second time in two consecutive years. If this is a sign for things to come, it would be an unfortunate fate for Mayer's career. It's sad to see anyone go down with an injury, but it's even sadder for a rookie who's trying to prove his worth.
If the Red Sox need to do ANYTHING this next season, it's to wrap him in bubble wrap to make sure he doesn't get hurt (yes, that was a joke). There are already some concerns about him not hitting left-handed pitching all too well, and the injuries were always one to begin with. Now, they've taken a bigger emphasis on his career than any of us would like to imagine.