Boston Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer recently made an interesting revelation, telling the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast that he reached out to the front office this offseason and expressed his willingness to get work in the outfield.
American League Future infielder Marcelo Mayer (10) reacts while running to second base with a double during the game against the American League Future team during the Major league All-Star Futures game at Globe Life Field in 2024. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Rob Bradford, who hosts the podcast, says that he can confirm there is a chance that Mayer could see time out there this spring.
Mayer is the No. 12 prospect in all of baseball, according to the newest rankings from MLB.com. He is the third-ranked Sox prospect behind Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell.
His willingness to play the outfield is noteworthy given that the Red Sox seem to have a positional crunch everywhere, with Mayer trying to find a path to the big leagues. Rafael Devers is locked in at third base, while Trevor Story is at short. Vaughn Grissom will get first crack at second, with Mayer and Campbell both serving as options there eventually. Story could opt-out after this season, opening up shortstop, but it's obviously unknown if that will come to fruition.
The outfield is also experiencing a log jam for Boston with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu locked in there. Anthony is next in line, so how the Red Sox juggle everything will be very interesting to watch in the coming months.
What's certain is that the Red Sox now have better depth than they've had in years. Coming off an 81-81 season and a third-place finish in the American League East, Boston looks set to compete, and they have the depth to hold off injuries as they come.
