The mystery of Marcelo Mayer's status on the Boston Red Sox's opening day roster appears close to its predictable conclusion.
All spring, manager Alex Cora has refrained from guaranteeing that Mayer will be with the Red Sox when they travel to face the Cincinnati Reds on March 26. But in the absence of preferable alternatives, it seemed all along that he would be the team's starting second baseman against right-handed pitchers.
On Tuesday, Cora still wasn't ready to declare that Mayer had won a job, but he gave the most obvious indication yet that the 23-year-old would almost certainly be joining the Red Sox on that flight to southwestern Ohio next week.
“He's playing well. He's playing really well,” said Cora, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. “And obviously, we have to make a decision. We haven't made that decision, but so far, he's been checking all the boxes.”
Mayer shrugged off left knee soreness that kept him out of the spring training lineup on Sunday and played in Boston's contest against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday, which should quell some nerves around Red Sox Nation. He went 0-for-2, but drew a walk and scored a run in a 4-3 victory.
Mayer's emergence would be a crucial plot point for the Red Sox this season; the sooner the better. After failing to land a marquee slugger in free agency, the Red Sox will need all the above-average bats they can muster to keep up with some of the top contenders in the American League.
The decision could come down any day at this point, but it seems quite possible that the Red Sox will wait until after their final spring training game on Monday to make a declaration on Mayer. Not-so-bold prediction: He's starting the first game of the season in which the Red Sox face a right-handed pitcher.