The Boston Red Sox are calling on their farm system for some infield help.
Top prospect Marcelo Mayer was promoted to the big-league club on Saturday, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported.
The move comes one day after starting third baseman Alex Bregman left a game with right quadriceps tightness.
Mayer, 22, was the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft and is ranked eighth on MLB.com’s top-100 prospects list.
The left-handed hitting shortstop has spent the entire season with triple-A Worcester, batting .271/.347/.471 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs in 43 games.
With news of Mayer’s call-up coming during the Red Sox’s afternoon game against the Baltimore Orioles, he could conceivably make his MLB debut as soon as Sunday at Fenway Park.
Earlier Saturday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the plan is for the team to “mix and match” and answered “no” when asked if Rafael Devers could be in the immediate plans.
“There’s a lot of guys in the conversation,” Cora said. “Roster construction comes into play, guys in the minor leagues, how they fit the roster — all that stuff.”
Could Devers be in the mix at some point?
“We made a decision in the off-season and this is where we’re going,” Cora said, without completely closing the door. “There are a few things that we took into consideration and I think we’ve been very consistent with it.
“I’m not going react to the outside world because (they) think that’s the right move. Maybe it’s not, right? Maybe we’re doing it right? Maybe we’re doing it wrong?”
Earlier this month, Devers told the Red Sox he wasn’t moving to play first base. The DH has been red-hot lately after collecting a career-best eight RBIs in a lopsided victory over the Orioles on Friday afternoon.
–with files from The Associated Press