Red Sox Rookie Phenom Sends Marcelo Mayer Warning: 'Not Too Much You Can Do'
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
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Paul Skenes' MLB record streak of 6-or-fewer hits allowed to start career ends at 46 games
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates aces Paul Skenes' record streak of allowing six or fewer hits to open an MLB career ended at 46 games on Thursday night against the Cincinnati Reds. The longest such streak to begin a career (excluding openers), according to OptaStats, had belonged to Shohei Ohtani, who went 31 starts from 2018-21 for the Los Angeles Angels. Skenes (7-8) allowed seven hits over six innings Thursday. He struck out eight batters and didn't give up a run, lowering his ERA to 1.94. That extended his scoreless streak to 27 2/3 innings; he last allowed a run June 8 against Philadelphia. He entered 3-0 with 0.53 ERA all time against the Reds with 25 strikeouts. The Pirates beat the Reds 7-0. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Skenes strikes out 8 in 6 shutout innings as Pirates beat Reds 7-0
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes struck out eight in six shutout innings, Bryan Reynolds and Henry Davis homered and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-0 on Thursday night. Skenes (7-8) allowed seven hits, the highest mark of his career, and remained undefeated against Cincinnati in four career starts. His record streak of allowing six or fewer hits to open an MLB career ended at 46 games. The longest such streak to begin a career (excluding openers), according to OptaStats, had belonged to Shohei Ohtani, who went 31 starts from 2018-21 for the Los Angeles Angels. Skenes extended his scoreless streak to 27 2/3 innings; he last allowed a run June 8 against Philadelphia. He lowered his ERA to a MLB-best 1.94. Reynolds opened the scoring with solo homer with two-out in the bottom of the first, and Jared Triolo drove in two more runs. In their last seven games, the Pirates have scored 18 runs in the first. Spencer Horwitz extended Pittsburgh's lead with an RBI single in the fourth. Two batters later, Reynolds' two-out single chased Cincinnati's Brady Singer (9-9), who allowed six hits and four runs in 3 2/3 innings. Oneil Cruz added an RBI single in the sixth, and Davis hit a two-run shot in the seventh. Ke'Bryan Hayes went 1 for 3 in his return to Pittsburgh after a deadline trade sent him to Cincinnati. Key moment After Reynolds' homer in the first, Singer walked three straight batters, setting Jared Triolo up for a bases-loaded single that drove in two runs and put the Pirates ahead to stay. Key stat Skenes hasn't allowed an earned run in Pittsburgh since June 3, against Houston. He hasn't allowed an earned run against the Reds since June 17, 2024, in Cincinnati. Up next Cincinnati RHP Chase Burns (0-3, 6.04) faces Pittsburgh RHP Mitch Keller (5-10, 3.89) in the second game of the four-game series. ___ AP MLB:
Associated Press
2 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Skenes strikes out 8 in 6 shutout innings as Pirates beat Reds 7-0
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Paul Skenes struck out eight in six shutout innings, Bryan Reynolds and Henry Davis homered and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-0 on Thursday night. Skenes (7-8) allowed seven hits, the highest mark of his career, and remained undefeated against Cincinnati in four career starts. His record streak of allowing six or fewer hits to open an MLB career ended at 46 games. The longest such streak to begin a career (excluding openers), according to OptaStats, had belonged to Shohei Ohtani, who went 31 starts from 2018-21 for the Los Angeles Angels. Skenes extended his scoreless streak to 27 2/3 innings; he last allowed a run June 8 against Philadelphia. He lowered his ERA to a MLB-best 1.94. Reynolds opened the scoring with solo homer with two-out in the bottom of the first, and Jared Triolo drove in two more runs. In their last seven games, the Pirates have scored 18 runs in the first. Spencer Horwitz extended Pittsburgh's lead with an RBI single in the fourth. Two batters later, Reynolds' two-out single chased Cincinnati's Brady Singer (9-9), who allowed six hits and four runs in 3 2/3 innings. Oneil Cruz added an RBI single in the sixth, and Davis hit a two-run shot in the seventh. Ke'Bryan Hayes went 1 for 3 in his return to Pittsburgh after a deadline trade sent him to Cincinnati. Key moment After Reynolds' homer in the first, Singer walked three straight batters, setting Jared Triolo up for a bases-loaded single that drove in two runs and put the Pirates ahead to stay. Key stat Skenes hasn't allowed an earned run in Pittsburgh since June 3, against Houston. He hasn't allowed an earned run against the Reds since June 17, 2024, in Cincinnati. Up next Cincinnati RHP Chase Burns (0-3, 6.04) faces Pittsburgh RHP Mitch Keller (5-10, 3.89) in the second game of the four-game series. ___ AP MLB:
