Red Sox Rookie Phenom Sends Marcelo Mayer Warning: 'Not Too Much You Can Do'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The Boston Red Sox made some veteran additions this past winter but it might be a rookie on the team who is generating the most excitement.
After adding Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, Alex Bregman and others before opening day, the Red Sox promoted Kristian Campbell to serve as their everyday second baseman, with some starts in center field, too.
The 23-year-old has rewarded the team with a solid .256/.346/.406 slash line, four homers and a .975 fielding percentage so far. And Red Sox fans are clammoring for the team to recreate that success by calling up another one of their top-ranked prospects.
"Campbell's success thus far is a blueprint the Red Sox would undoubtedly love to see replicated by fellow top prospects outfielder Roman Anthony and infielder Marcelo Mayer when they debut in the not-too-distant future," Jen McCaffrey wrote for The Athletic. "Like everyone else outside the Red Sox front office, Campbell does not know when Anthony and Mayer will debut, but he's been taking notes over the first several weeks of his big-league career to pass on to the pair when they do arrive."
PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA - MARCH 13: Marcelo Mayer #39 of the Boston Red Sox warms up in the on-deck circle before a 2025 MLB Spring Breakout game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports...
PORT CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA - MARCH 13: Marcelo Mayer #39 of the Boston Red Sox warms up in the on-deck circle before a 2025 MLB Spring Breakout game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park on March 13, 2025 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston)Anthony is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball while Mayer is at No. 8, per MLB.com. Their paths to the big-league club are a bit cloudy, despite their talents, because of the positions they play.
As an outfielder, Anthony faces a logjam for everyday playing time as Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreau and Rob Refsnyder split time, with Masataka Yoshida hoping to return soon from an injury. And at a shortstop, Mayer would have to compete with highly paid veteran Trevor Story for playing time.
Mayer also faces a unique challenge at his position because shortstop can be one of the most challenging roles to play at the big-league level. With that in mind, Campbell sent him a warning.
"I would tell Marcelo, specifically, for the infield, know who's up to bat and know who's running," Campbell told McCaffrey. "Some plays are dead when there's no play, there's no play. There's not too much you can do when that happens."
Campbell could surely give the pair of prospects plenty of invaluable lessons when they receive their call-ups, given how quickly he's acclimated to the majors. As Anthony and Mayer continue to knock at the door, the trio might be together again sooner rather than later.
More MLB: Team USA Gets Boost For World Baseball Classic With Top Arm Committing To Pitch
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
28 minutes ago
- New York Times
Matt Chapman's walk-off homer sends Giants to a fourth consecutive one-run victory
SAN FRANCISCO — Major league clubhouses undergo renovations so often that HGTV could make an episodic series out of it. Teams are forever juggling office space, making room for new technology, seeking to inspire a new vibe, responding to the whims and preferences of a new front office or coaching staff. They've even been known to consult a feng shui expert or two. Advertisement It was no different for the Giants after Buster Posey took over as president of baseball operations this past October. The previous administration gradually mothballed most of the signage and emblems that commemorated the franchise's three World Series championships from 2010 to 2014. Perhaps there was a constructive thought behind the conscious decision to mute clubhouse reminders of that decade-old dynastic run. When nostalgia becomes a narcotic, it might blur your purpose in the present day. Or maybe it got awkward to see daily reminders of a gloried past that you had nothing to do with. Posey, of course, had everything to do with those three World Series championships. And he appreciates the power of nostalgia, in its proper dosage, to the mind of a major league player. So after barely a month on the job, Posey expressed a resolve to redecorate the clubhouse — beginning with the office space adjacent to the front door that had been converted to a hub for the analytics staff. 'It'll change,' Posey said in November. 'I want to be clear: They're a valuable piece to the entire picture. But trying to figure out where they can be available for the coaches and the players where maybe it's not right when you walk in the door? That's going to be a good thing.' The office shuffling was not meant to be punitive. It was meant to reestablish a primacy of purpose: competing to win, no matter how it was arrived at or what it looked like or how a computer modeled it. Now when you enter the Giants clubhouse, look to your left and you'll find a mini lounge with a chessboard and a Golden Tee arcade console. And in the hallway, you won't merely find a framed photo or tacked-up replica pennants to commemorate the three World Series titles. The Giants spent some money, kicked up some gypsum dust and installed three recessed and backlit display cases. The shiny circle-of-flags trophies are the first things that players see when they walk into the clubhouse and the last things they see when they head to the field. Advertisement Nostalgia doesn't have to be an escape from reality. Not when it can help to model the present. The Giants were down to their final out in yet another one-run game on Saturday when Matt Chapman's two-run home run sent them to an exhilarating, 3-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves. See if any of these postgame comments sound familiar: 'They all come down to the last pitch,' Giants manager Bob Melvin said. 'Seems like every game does.' 'I wouldn't love to play them every single day, but, yeah, it's going to serve us because we know how to play those games,' Chapman said. 'We know what it takes to come out on top. When the pressure is on, you got to make a play or take a good at-bat. Everything's heightened in those moments.' 'Yeah, torture,' Logan Webb said. 'It's torture baseball here.' You cannot reincarnate a World Series championship season like 2010, when the Giants eked and squeaked their way to so many nail-biters that announcer Duane Kuiper made on-air appeals to the Geneva Convention. You cannot define every contour of a season, either, when 98 games remain on the schedule. But this current team continues to groove to a tune that includes some heavy sampling from its past. The Giants played their sixth consecutive one-run game on Saturday — their longest streak since an eight-game run in 2014, when they won their last World Series championship. Their 27 one-run games this season are tied with the Braves for the most in the major leagues. The difference is that the Braves are 9-18 in those games, and by now, conditioned for calamity. The Giants, after winning four consecutive one-run games, are 15-12 in them and perhaps beginning to develop a muscle memory for coming out ahead. 'But it seems like we've played them for three weeks straight,' Chapman said. 'So I think everybody would prefer to score some more runs.' Advertisement That's what the players said in 2010, too. All the way to a dogpile on the mound in Texas. 'That's why you keep playing, keep fighting,' said Melvin, after managing his 13th consecutive game that was decided by two runs or fewer. 'One swing can do it. We've seen it happen many times. What is that, our eighth walkoff? So we're used to these types of games. It feels like with as many as we've had like this, we're battle-tested to the end. And until the last out, we have a chance.' They only have that chance because their bullpen leads the major leagues with the lowest ERA (2.30 entering Saturday) as well as baserunners per inning (1.07). Their frontline trio of Camilo Doval, Randy Rodriguez and Tyler Rogers has been both effective and efficient, which is important because it's kept them on the table for Melvin to use without multiple days off. Those frontline relievers have been needed so often because the Giants rotation seldom pitches the team out of a game. Their starters rank seventh in the majors with a 3.50 ERA, Robbie Ray is coming off Pitcher of the Month honors for May, and Webb, who was already a perennial presence on Cy Young ballots, is discovering ways to become even better on the mound. Webb continued to assert his reinvention as a strikeout pitcher on Saturday while delivering another dominant home start. He struck out 10 in six innings; of his 11 career double-digit strikeout games, four have come this season. It was Webb's fifth career start with double-digit strikeouts and no walks. He's one of three pitchers in franchise history to meet those qualifications at least five times. (If you're looking for more 2010 parallels, the other two are Tim Lincecum (5) and Madison Bumgarner (12).) 'He doesn't need a double play at times,' Melvin said of Webb, who also drastically addressed past issues holding runners and has had one base stolen against him all season. 'Instead of getting a ground ball, he gets a couple punchouts. He's just a better pitcher now.' Webb would pledge every spring to boost his strikeout rate and embellish the effectiveness of his grounder-inducing sinker. But who could've seen this coming? A third of the way into the season, Webb already has struck out 101 batters. The only pitchers with more are the Nationals' Mackenzie Gore and the Tigers' Tarik Skubal. Advertisement What's the difference now? It's not like Webb's velocity is spiking through the roof. So is it the cutter he added to the mix? Throwing more two-strike four-seam fastballs at the top of the zone? Recapturing a changeup that faded in all the wrong respects at times over the past two seasons? Maybe it's all of the above. Mostly, it's getting consistently ahead in counts and giving Webb a chance to sharpen his knives. 'There's the scouting part of it, throwing the right pitches at the right time, setting guys up,' Webb said. 'As a collection, we've done a really good job of that.' Webb credited catcher Patrick Bailey, pitching coach J.P. Martinez and assistant pitching coach Garvin Alston with those enhanced scouting reports and game preparation. Webb also credited two unofficial coaches who are former Cy Young Award winners — teammates Ray and Justin Verlander — for helping him hone his strikeout mentality. 'I'm not necessarily trying to strike everybody out. I just think I'm setting people up better for it,' Webb said. 'I always think about what Greg Maddux says about getting to 0-2. You get one chance to strike them out and then you go back to just trying to get them out. That's always been part of my mindset.' The team's mindset and mood were different following Webb's previous start against the San Diego Padres when they lost 1-0 and their lack of offensive production was threatening to drag down their season. Then changes were made. Perhaps it's more than a coincidence that the Giants haven't lost in four games since replacing LaMonte Wade Jr. with Dom Smith at first base in addition to adding backup catcher Andrew Knizner and outfielder Daniel Johnson. Smith has made the most noticeable impact with his situational at-bats as well as his defensive contributions at first base. He caught a foul pop against the netting in Friday's extra-inning victory over the Braves. On Saturday, he helped to snuff out a potentially troublesome ninth inning behind Tyler Rogers when he made a diving attempt at a ground ball and somehow recovered in time to take a throw from second baseman Casey Schmitt. That defensive effort helped the Giants maintain a one-run deficit. They only managed three hits, including a home run from Wilmer Flores, in eight innings against Braves right-hander Bryce Elder. But Atlanta stayed away from closer Raisel Iglesias, who had a 6.75 ERA after blowing the last of a six-run lead to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. Instead, the Braves handed the assignment to right-handed curveball specialist Pierce Johnson, who had thrown a game-ending wild pitch the previous night. Advertisement Johnson gave up a one-out single to Heliot Ramos and retired Flores to bring the Giants to their last gasp. Then Johnson did worse than bounce another curveball. With a 1-1 count to Chapman, he hung one. 'His go-to is that curveball,' said Chapman, whose drive landed in the third row of the left field bleachers. 'I had a feeling that's what he was going to lean on in that situation.' Chapman circled the bases to a cacophony of cheers, then arrived home to a water-splashing, jersey-ripping pile of bodies. It was his first walk-off hit as a Giant and his third career walk-off home run. He'd hit a pair of them for Melvin with the Oakland A's over a six-week span in 2019. 'I think Chappy's going to hit a home run any time,' Webb said. 'I thought Flo was going to do it, too. But I guess it was Chapman's day.' Chapman was asked for his thoughts about the Giants' winning streak coming on the heels of a mini roster overhaul. Did those moves stir a sense of urgency in the clubhouse? 'It's funny, you know?' Chapman said. 'How things can change super quickly.' (Top Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
USA Today
43 minutes ago
- USA Today
LA Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals odds, picks and predictions
The LA Dodgers (38-27) and St. Louis Cardinals (36-28) clash in the Sunday finale of a 3-game series. The contest at Busch Stadium in St. Louis is slated for a 2:15 p.m. ET first pitch. Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's MLB odds around the Dodgers vs. Cardinals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets. Season series: Cardinals lead 2-0 Los Angeles was shut out 5-0 in Friday's lid-lifter and dropped Saturday's matinee second game 2-1. LA is just 2-5 over its last 7 games. The Cardinals won Saturday's contest in walk-off fashion. The Redbirds and Dodgers were tied 1-1 when 3B Nolan Arenado stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter with no outs and runners at the corners. Arenado delivered an RBI single to give St. Louis its third win in its last 4 games. Dodgers at Cardinals projected starters LHP Clayton Kershaw vs. RHP Michael McGreevy Expert MLB daily picks: Unique MLB betting insights only at USA TODAY Kershaw (0-0, 5.17 ERA) is lined up for his fifth start. He has a 1.66 WHIP, 5.2 BB/9 and 4.6 K/9 in 15 2/3 innings. Last outing: No-decision, 4 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 K in 6-5 win vs. New York Mets Tuesday Career vs. Cardinals: 11-6, 2.87 ERA (141 IP, 45 ER), 112 H, 44 BB, 151 K in 22 starts Didn't make his 2025 debut until May 17 due to offseason knee and toe surgeries McGreevy (1-0, 0.00 ERA) is making his first start and second appearance of 2025. He has a 0.35 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9 and 7.9 K/9 in 5 2/3 IP innings. Last outing: Win, 5 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K in 5-4 win vs. New York Mets May 4 Has pitched 26 1/3 IP (1.37 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) at Triple-A since his May 4 relief outing In 2024 rookie season he pitched in 4 games (3 starts, 1 relief appearance), going 3-0 with a 1.97 ERA (5 ER in 23 1/3 IP) Has never faced the Dodgers Win your fantasy baseball league with For decades, BHQ has been helping players just like you win! BHQ offers full-season subscriptions. Sign up today and start winning! Dodgers at Cardinals odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET. Moneyline (ML): Dodgers -140 (bet $140 to win $100) | Cardinals +115 (bet $100 to win $115) Dodgers -140 (bet $140 to win $100) | Cardinals +115 (bet $100 to win $115) Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Dodgers -1.5 (+120) | Cardinals +1.5 (-145) Dodgers -1.5 (+120) | Cardinals +1.5 (-145) Over/Under (O/U): 9 (O: -115 | U: -105) Dodgers at Cardinals picks and predictions Prediction Cardinals 4, Dodgers 3 St. Louis is 5-2 across its last 7 home games against LA. McGreevy has logged a 1.57 ERA and solid analytics support numbers over his first 28 2/3 Major League innings (2024-25). And he's coming off a successful month at Triple-A. Kershaw has run into a lot of bats and too much loud contact so far. The Cards are a lean. The pitching data going in is incomplete, though, and there isn't much team actual-vs.-expected leverage to add. Consider a partial-unit play on ST. LOUIS (+115). No interest. AVOID. The Under is undefeated across the last 4 Dodgers-Cardinals games. Both sides have some runs-allowed-vs.-expected numbers calling for better yields in the pitching-and-defense department. The Redbirds are turned around to the lesser side of their platoon numbers when facing lefties. Again, the value here is limited. Make a partial-unit play on the UNDER 9 (-105). Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Yankees can't overcome Ryan Yarbrough's brutal start in slugfest loss to Red Sox
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free There were issues with the Yankees' starting pitcher, which were exacerbated by issues with the club's second-string defense, which came before issues emerged concerning a late-inning arm. Add it all up, and the Yankees simply did too much wrong while digging a hole that even their bats could not escape. Advertisement The Yankees' offense and tenacity could not make up for the other problems in a 10-7 loss to the Red Sox in The Bronx on Saturday in front of a sellout crowd of 47,020. With no Anthony Volpe (sore elbow), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (rest, though he subbed in later) and Trent Grisham (against a lefty), the Yankees' defense was spotty behind a pitcher in Ryan Yarbrough who does not have the type of stuff that creates much margin for error. 5 Ryan Yarbrough had his worst outing of the season, allowing eight runs in four innings in the Yankees' 10-7 loss to the Red Sox on June 7, 2025. Corey Sipkin for New York Post And on a night when the Yankees' bullpen needed to eat five innings, Ian Hamilton was not sharp in giving up two runs in the top of the ninth to negate what had looked to be an uprising. Advertisement The early deficit was too big to overcome on a night that featured a clear starting pitcher mismatch — which probably was to be expected with Yarbrough (whom the Yankees picked up on the scrap heap in March) against Garrett Crochet (whom the Red Sox extended for $170 million in March). For the first time since first dipping his toe into the rotation on April 11, Yarbrough was hit hard. The Red Sox looked far more comfortable against the funky, junk-throwing lefty than the Dodgers did last weekend in an outing that spiked his ERA from 2.83 to 4.17. Advertisement Yarbrough allowed eight runs on nine hits and two walks in four innings, leaving with his club in a five-run ditch that the Yankees could not fully escape, despite putting the potential tying run on second in the eighth. The Yankees fought back from an 8-3 hole beginning in the bottom of the fourth, when Austin Wells (who had drilled a three-run homer in the third) drove in another with an outfielder-splitting double. A ground out from Pablo Reyes scored another, and the offense awoke again in the eighth. 5 Trevor Story, who had five RBIs, rips a two-run double in the third inning of the Yankees' loss to the Red Sox. Getty Images Advertisement CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND YANKEES STATS Against former Yankee Justin Wilson, a rally formed with a walk to Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger, who advanced into scoring position. With two outs, a throwback DJ LeMahieu singled up the middle to drive in two and narrow the gap to 8-7. But with LeMahieu on second, Wells struck out. 5 Austin Wells belts a three-run homer in the second inning of the Yankees' loss to the Red Sox. Robert Sabo for New York Post That would be as close as they came. In the top of the ninth, Hamilton allowed a walk and three straight singles — the final from Trevor Story, who drove in five — before Aroldis Chapman blew the Yankees away in the bottom of the ninth. The Yankees (39-24), who have won eight of their past nine series, would need to take Sunday night's rubber game behind Carlos Rodón to keep the arrow pointing up. Saturday's defeat might have been decided in the third, which began with the Yankees ahead, 3-1, before a nine-batter, five-hit, five-run frame in which the Yankees' defense first helped then hurt. Advertisement 5 Ryan Yarbrough reacts after giving up a two-run homer to Romy González in the fourth inning of the Yankees' loss to the Red Sox. Robert Sabo for New York Post With runners on second and third and no outs, former Yankee Carlos Narvaez hit a ground ball to Paul Goldschmidt, who fielded and threw home to get the out at the plate — which would end the Yankees' defensive highlights. On yet another World Series Game 5 flashback, Romy Gonzalez followed by hitting a ground ball into the shortstop hole with runners on second and third. Fill-in shortstop Oswald Peraza and fill-in third baseman Reyes could not figure out what Volpe and Chisholm could not figure out, Reyes too far off third base when Peraza fielded the ball. Advertisement 5 DJ LeMahieu, who had two hits and two RBIs, rips a single in the fourth inning of the Yankees' win over the Red Sox. Corey Sipkin for New York Post Peraza swung to Reyes, who caught it but could not touch the bag in time to load the bases. Yarbrough is not a flamethrower who can shrug off mistakes and throw heat past hitters. A single from Abraham Toro and a double from Story — on a ground bullet that glanced off Reyes' glove and rolled all the way to the wall — and single from Kristian Campbell gave Boston a 6-3 edge that widened an inning later. Advertisement After losing former Yankee Rob Refsnyder to a walk, Yarbrough left a first-pitch sweeper down the middle to Gonzalez, who clobbered a two-run homer to left.
