Bregman on IL, Red Sox call up heralded Mayer

At a crossroads in their season, and hovering around the .500 mark, the Boston Red Sox are undergoing significant change in the infield, and it doesn't even have to do with their highly publicized first base situation.

In between games of a doubleheader with the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, Boston manager Alex Cora told reporters that Alex Bregman has a "significant injury," one that is similar to a 2021 injury in which he missed more than two months while with the Houston Astros. Cora declined to give a timetable, but later Saturday, the club formally placed the star third baseman on the 10-day injured list with a right quad strain.

"We have hope in our medical staff," Cora said after the 6-5 victory in Saturday's opener. "Hopefully, it's sooner rather than later, but he is going to be out for a while."

With an infield spot open, the Red Sox called up Marcelo Mayer, the No. 6 prospect in baseball and a central part of their future who they hope can play a role in their push for a postseason berth this year. The 22-year-old Mayer has excelled at shortstop as he ascended through the Red Sox's farm system after they took him with the No. 4 pick in the 2021 draft, but he won't be defined to one position with the big club.

"He is going to play," said Cora, who slotted Mayer at third base for Saturday's nightcap. "We'll play him everywhere. ... He can play second, he can play short, he can play third. Obviously, he can swing the bat well, and he's a good baserunner. We will use him."

At Triple-A Worcester, where Mayer was hitting .271/.347/.471 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs in 43 games, he played four games at third base. Mayer could also see time at shortstop, with Trevor Story in a profound monthlong slump, and second base, as Cora mentioned, is also an option.

Marcelo gets the call: pic.twitter.com/jVZDqRxKjP

— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 24, 2025

The injury stalls a standout first season in a Red Sox uniform for Bregman, 31, who signed with the club during spring training. He swings an MVP-caliber bat that has often bailed out a lineup that has struggled this season. Bregman was hitting .299 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs before the injury, which called for a Saturday MRI. Before the win, Cora told reporters that the injury felt even "worse" than Bregman had expected.

The arrival of Mayer marks the second of Boston's big three prospects, with Kristian Campbell earning the second-base job in spring training. After a hot start, Campbell has slumped likewise and entered Saturday hitting .225/.321/.369. The third of the group, outfielder Roman Anthony, is the No. 1 prospect in MLB, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, and is hitting .323/.455/.513 with six home runs and 18 RBIs at Triple-A entering Saturday.

Cora, before the doubleheader began, quickly answered "no" when asked if designated hitter Rafael Devers could be in the immediate plans for third base. Devers, a natural third baseman, was replaced by Bregman in spring training and has caused a stir in his defiance to playing first base for the Red Sox.

"We made a decision in the offseason and this is where we're going," Cora said in regards to Devers and making him a DH. "There are a few things that we took into consideration and I think we've been very consistent with it."

The Red Sox earlier lost first baseman Triston Casas for the season to a ruptured tendon in his left knee and have struggled to find a productive fill-in, amplifying calls for the team to reach into its significant minor league depth.

Boston has taken Mayer's development slowly, with injuries limiting him to 91 games in 2022, 78 games in 2023 and 77 games last year. He is a career .273/.360/.466 hitter in 315 minor league games and projects to be a middle-of-the-order bat and Boston's long-term solution at shortstop.

In his debut Saturday night, Mayer hit sixth and had three strikeouts in four at-bats of a 2-0 loss.

"It was awesome," he said of the loud ovation he received from fans at Fenway as he stepped into the batter's box for the first time. "I've never experienced anything like that before in my life. I actually just got done texting my friends and parents about that moment. That's something I'll remember the rest of my life."

Bregman's contract includes an opt-out after the 2025 season, opening the possibility of a shift to third for Mayer. At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, he has the size and the arm strength typically sought for the position. But his glove at shortstop is regarded as above-average, and Boston could opt to move Story off the position for Mayer or Ceddanne Rafaela, who also plays center field for the Red Sox.

"This is significant, just like Triston," Cora said of Bregman's absence and how the infield now shapes up. "They are two good players who we're going to miss. But if we really believe that we're good, we have to keep going and keep playing good baseball, and keep winning games."