Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer is likely to make the Opening Day roster. Wednesday seemed to be a pivotal day in Fort Myers, as manager Alex Cora is moving quickly to finalize his 26-man roster for Opening Day.
Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reported that Vaughn Grissom was optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, effectively clearing the path for Mayer or Kristian Campbell to make the team. Just a year ago, Grissom was one of the Red Sox’s key acquisitions in the 2023 offseason, arriving in a trade with the Atlanta Braves for Chris Sale—who went on to win the 2024 National League Cy Young Award.
“I think I’m always ready for anything, especially as a guy who’s not established in the league at a position», Marcelo Mayer told MLB.com before hitting his second triple in a three-at-bat day. “You’ve got to be able to adapt and do whatever it takes«.
The Red Sox ended up sending five players to the minor league camp on Wednesday, including Josh Winckowski, Luis Guerrero, Nathan Hickey, and Mark Kolzsvary. Winckowski and Guerrero were sent to Worcester.
It’s still unclear if Mayer or Campbell is the favorite for the second base gig. Mayer has been hitting very well during Spring Training. He is batting .385 with a 1.025 OPS, along with two triples, one home run, and 10 RBIs in 16 games.
“I mean, all that stuff’s not really up to me», said Mayer to MLB.com. «It’s not really my job. That’s for the front office to decide. All I can do is go out there and play as hard as try to perform the best I possibly can».
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“He cares about defense and he loves it, and defense comes easy for him,” Cora said to MLB.com about Marcelo Mayer. “So wherever you put him — second, short, third — we’re comfortable with it. He’s a good defender».
