Perhaps it's been made out to be a bigger story than it truly is, but early in spring training, Marcelo Mayer's standing with the Boston Red Sox has become a plot point.
Manager Alex Cora said last week that Mayer had "a lot of work to do" in camp if he wanted to be in the starting lineup for the March 25 game against the Cincinnati Reds. It wasn't an atypical comment to make on a player who only has 44 major league games under his belt, but it felt harsher after Boston let Alex Bregman leave in free agency, seemingly clearing the path for Mayer.
For his part, Mayer seems to be taking everything thrown his way in stride, which should only endear him to Red Sox fans even more than his infectious personality already has.
“Obviously, this year, I’m coming in with Show experience,” Mayer said this week, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. “So it’s a little different, but I’m seeing it the same way. I feel like I still got to earn a job. I’m not Trevor Story. I don’t have a position stamp that I’m going to be playing Opening Day. For me, I feel like I still need to win a job, and I feel like (the team has) made that clear.”
After building up slowly this offseason during his recovery from wrist surgery, Mayer will make his spring debut on Friday against the Atlanta Braves and ex-Red Sox ace Chris Sale.
Is Mayer's challenge from Cora more symbolic, or a true signal that his roster spot is up in the air? Only the rest of the spring can help us find the answer.