Red Sox Prospect Marcelo Mayer Ruled Out For Remainder Of 2023

Boston Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer will prematurely reach the end of his 2023 campaign.

With 11 games left on Double-A Portland’s season schedule, Mayer won’t return to the Sea Dogs after initially being placed on the injured list on Aug. 5 with shoulder inflammation. Instead, the Red Sox will take a precautionary approach with the 20-year-old shortstop, transferring Mayer to Fort Myers, Florida, in order to get ahead of the recovery process.

“Marcelo will not play again this year in Portland,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. “He will focus on his rehab in Fort Myers — strengthening his shoulder, so he can have a full, normal offseason. We are very pleased with the progress he has made so far.”

Mayer spent the majority of the year raising his stock and surging in Boston’s minor league system.

First, Mayer started the season off in High-A Greenville, batting .290 with seven home runs, 11 doubles and 34 RBIs in 35 games played with the Drive. That scorching-hot start game rewarded with Mayer representing the Red Sox in the 2023 Major League Baseball Future’s Game during All-Star weekend.

That production level saw quite a dip, however.

Getting a larger sample size (43 games) following his promotion to Double-A in May, Mayer’s offensive number dropped. The left-handed hitter compiled a slash line of .189/.254/.355 with six home runs and 20 RBIs, striking out 49 times in 169 at-bats.

Mayer is ranked 11th among all prospects in MLB, and fourth among shortstops.