Red Sox make Marcelo Mayer decision: ‘I wanted to push him,’ Alex Cora says
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Throughout spring training, Alex Cora has made it abundantly clear that nothing would be promised to infielder Marcelo Mayer. On Saturday, that changed.
Cora made official what had been expected for weeks , naming Mayer the primary second baseman heading into the season. Cora met with Mayer to inform him of the decision as players arrived at JetBlue Park on Saturday morning. “Marcelo is going to be our second baseman,” Cora said.
“I talked to him today. He did an amazing job in the offseason. ” Added Mayer: “It means a lot.
Obviously, that was the goal coming into camp. He made it well known the spot wasn’t given to me so I worked hard and I’m really happy with the outcome. ” Mayer appeared in 44 games as a rookie last season before his season was cut short by a July wrist sprain that required surgery.
Entering the winter, he seemed likely to win a starting role at either second base or third base. Once the Red Sox acquired Caleb Durbin from the Brewers and installed him at third, Mayer became the clear-cut favorite at second. Still, as camp opened, Cora challenged the 23-year-old, saying it was “not a given” that he’d make the team .