A Red Sox youngster isn’t shying away from the noise surrounding his difficult start to the 2026 season. As Boston struggles at the bottom of the AL East, Marcelo Mayer admitted that his offense has fallen short of expectations. However, the former top prospect claimed that he is not getting enough opportunities to get out of the puddle. 

“I feel like I still don’t have that many at-bats. I’m approaching a year, but at the same time, I don’t have a year’s worth of at-bats,” Mayer explained. 

Marcelo Mayer made his MLB debut on May 24, 2025. He just completed a year in the majors. But his number of starts isn’t even remotely close to 162 games. The youngster played 44 games for the Red Sox before suffering a wrist injury in late July that sidelined him for the season. 

He joined the roster for the 2026 spring training, and so far, he has played 47 games in the regular season. He had only 267 at-bats and recorded 59 hits over two seasons. He has a .214 AVG this season, and his OPS stands equally worrying at .577. That’s why he is referring to his limited at-bats. 

“Obviously, it hasn’t gone the way that I wanted offensively so far, but it’s early… We all want to be really good right [away]. But looking back in my [minor league] career, I’ve always struggled going up to new levels…” Mayer told Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. 

Notably, he had a similar issue in mid-2023 after his promotion from High-A to Double-A. He was having trouble facing the breaking balls and changeups. He took months to adjust. But once he did, he was slashing .307/.370/.480 in Double-A. 

The major league situation is a bit worse for the 23–year-old. He missed several months due to the injury. And Boston carefully managed his schedule after the surgery to ensure a proper recovery. There was some uncertainty about his inclusion in the active roster before Opening Day. But the then-manager Alex Cora ultimately put him on second base to continue his journey with Boston. 

While these are genuine reasons, the Red Sox’s poor standings aren’t really offering too much slack. They have been struggling since the beginning of the season. And even after firing Cora and several other coaches, they are still at the bottom of their division with a 22-30 record. However, the Red Sox are still searching for the best developmental path for him. 

Trevor Story injury might have offered an unexpected opportunity for Mayer

Red Sox SS Trevor Story underwent surgery to repair his sports hernia on May 22. His specific return is still uncertain, but this type of recovery usually takes around 6 to 10 weeks. That means he won’t be back before July, and he might need more for a solid recovery. 

This has worked somewhat in favor of Mayer, who was originally drafted as a pure shortstop in 2021. In fact, he has played 268 out of his 279 minor league games in that position. However, there was a disagreement about his infield spot before the start of the season. While Cora had put him at 2B, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow wanted him at third base. 

Mayer was actually elite at second base and made only 2 errors in 289⅓ innings. Despite such impressive performance, he wasn’t fully satisfied with his position. Finally, he returned to his natural position on May 24. While it is too early to judge him as a shortstop, he seems more agile. And he can utilize his premium arm strength and angles more naturally. 

Unfortunately, this won’t improve his offense. But if he continues to improve as a position player and manages to help the team, he might get a confidence boost. It might eventually lead to more at-bats for the young player. Marcelo Mayer acknowledged his learning curve, and more importantly, he is ready to use whatever opportunities he gets. 

“The biggest thing is just learning with every single at-bat,” he added. 

However, the primary objective is to maintain his durability and avoid injuries. That will eventually confirm more opportunities at the batter’s box.