Mike Felger and Michael Holley ‘eulogize’ the 2024 Red Sox season after the club drops both ends of its doubleheader on Monday, falling 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot.
A bounce-back season turned into another letdown for the Boston Red Sox' No. 1 ranked prospect, Marcelo Mayer.
Shortly after earning a promotion to Triple-A, Mayer was placed on Worcester's injured list due to lingering soreness in his hip, lower back, and upper glute. On Monday, it was reported that the 21-year-old shortstop will miss the rest of the campaign due to a lumbar strain.
It's the second consecutive year that Mayer has suffered a season-ending injury. His 2023 season was cut short due to a nagging shoulder issue.
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Before his latest setback, Mayer gave a firm reminder of why he's considered the organization's top prospect. The fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft slashed .307/.370/.480 with 28 doubles, eight home runs, and 38 RBI in 77 games with Double-A Portland.
As talented as he is, Mayer's durability issues have become a legitimate concern. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said it himself on Monday.
“I mean, obviously not ideal,” Cora said, per MLB.com's Ian Browne. “He had a good season, did a good job. But honestly, I didn’t know. I'll talk to (player development) and see what happens. But getting him right is the most important thing.
"There's a lot of potential there. There's things that we have to work on. (The) injuries, obviously, from my end, (are) concerning, to be honest with you. Just have to make sure we can keep him healthy.”
Understandably, the Red Sox have been unwilling to entertain potential trades involving their prized prospect trio of Mayer, Roman Anthony, and Kyle Teel. But while Anthony and Teel look like shoo-ins to make the big-league roster at some point next season, injuries have cast a cloud of uncertainty over Mayer's future. With glaring holes on the MLB roster, the front office will have to at least consider moving Mayer while he's still ranked as one of the league's elite prospects (No. 5 per MLB Pipeline).
Mayer could be the key to acquiring a top starting pitcher or addressing another need in the offseason. It would hurt to part ways with a prospect who offers such high upside, but injuries have made him the most expendable of Boston's young phenoms.
Last offseason, first-year chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said he would be open to trading one of the organization's top prospects for a proven MLB talent. This upcoming winter might be the time for him to turn his words into actions.
“I think for the right deal, the answer is yes, we need to be willing to give up position player capital in order to to get starting pitching and controllable starting pitching because it takes time for that pipeline to develop internally," Breslow said in December.
Mayer is expected to have a normal offseason and be ready for the start of spring training. Although he should be back on the field to begin the 2025 season, there are now doubts about whether he can finish it.
