Boston Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer got the call every player dreams of over the weekend, and his first few days in the majors were a whirlwind, to say the least.
Mayer, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, was called up from Triple-A on Saturday after star third baseman Alex Bregman suffered a leg injury the day before. Mayer started at third on Saturday and had a tough debut, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Boston’s 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
But it was how Mayer even got to Boston that was the big story, and we are not talking about his path through the minor leagues.
Mayer told reporters on Saturday that he was unable to drive himself from Worcester, Mass. (where the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate is based) to Boston. That is because the 22-year-old lost his car keys weeks ago, and he did not make much effort to locate them.
“I lost them like three weeks ago and I never cared to look for them until I needed to,” Mayer said, via Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. “So thankfully somebody drove me.”
Mayer said his car has been sitting in a parking lot for weeks outside Polar Park, which is where the Triple-A WooSox play. A clubhouse attendant drove him the roughly one hour from Worcester to Boston on Saturday. He said he spent the ride answering texts from friends and family who were excited for him to make his MLB debut.
“I was just really answering all the texts I got,” Mayer said. “So I used it as a time to kind of chill and answer all my family and my friends.”
Things got better for Mayer on Sunday. He went 2-for-4 and scored a run, though that run was the only one Boston could muster in their 5-1 loss to the Orioles.
Mayer’s stay in the big leagues could be a lengthy one, as Cora said Bregman’s injury is “significant.” The Red Sox may have to find Mayer a loaner car if he is going to be in Boston for a while.
