Red Sox rookie Marcelo Mayer to undergo season-ending wrist surgery, manager Alex Cora announces
Mayer, 22, will be sidelined for three months following the surgery and is expected to be ready for spring training, according to Cora.
The rookie had been on the injured list since July 25 with a sprained right wrist. He sustained the injury while swinging and missing at a slider in a July 23 game versus the Philadelphia Phillies and pitcher Jesús Luzardo.
This story will be updated with more information.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Red Sox takeaways: Bullpen concerns, Wilyer Abreu's injury, more
BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox's bullpen has been among the best in baseball this season, yet this weekend proved forgettable for the relief corps and highlighted a potential weakness for the team as it fights for a postseason spot. On Saturday, in a 7-2 game, Isaiah Campbell entered in the ninth and gave up three runs, necessitating closer Aroldis Chapman to enter and close out the win. Advertisement Chapman, who'd also made 11 pitches on Friday, wasn't available on Sunday, and his teammates couldn't pick him up. Greg Weissert gave up a game-tying homer in the ninth and Steven Matz subsequently surrendered a two-run shot, turning a 3-2 Red Sox lead and chance at a series sweep of the Miami Marlins into a 5-3 loss. 'It sucks to be the person that is responsible for it,' Weissert said. 'Garrett (Crochet) goes out there every game and it's always a chance to win, and to not be able to pick up Chappy being down, it sucks.' Boston's bullpen entered Sunday with a 3.38 ERA, best in the American League and third in the majors. But beyond Chapman, Garrett Whitlock (who allowed a run in the eighth on Sunday) and Justin Wilson, there are some concerns in the bullpen. Weissert has been solid overall and entered Sunday having given up just one run since July 2. But with a heavy workload early in the year, Weissert's innings have been managed a bit by manager Alex Cora over the last two months to help him maintain his effectiveness. Weissert leads the team with 56 appearances. Matz, meanwhile, had not given up a run since arriving via trade two weeks ago, but is more of a multi-inning reliever than a high-leverage setup man, a role he was forced into on Sunday. Jordan Hicks should have given the Red Sox depth in that department, but he is still searching for consistency. The Red Sox may see some relief help arriving soon in the form of Justin Slaten, who is ramping up after being out since June 1 with a shoulder/neck injury. He threw his third bullpen on Friday and is scheduled for a live batting practice session on Monday. If all goes well, his next step would be another live BP or a rehab assignment. The Red Sox have been surging of late, but tough losses like Sunday's highlight the need to keep up their winning pace. Had Boston (68-57) held on for a win, it would have pulled within four games of the Blue Jays (73-52) for first in the American League East and fortified its wild-card position. The loss also wasted another solid start from Crochet, who allowed one run on three hits and a walk, striking out eight in seven innings. Advertisement 'It's difficult to lose a game like that and even more with where we are in the standings right now,' Wilyer Abreu said. Abreu gave the Red Sox the lead with a two-run homer in the fourth inning on Sunday and scored on a sacrifice fly from Abraham Toro in the seventh. But in the next half inning, he exited the game with right calf tightness. The right fielder, who leads the team with 22 homers, said it cramped up as he was tagging up from third to score. 'It's a little bit tight,' he said. 'Right now, I'm day-to-day to see how I wake up tomorrow. Hopefully be ready, take probably two or three days and be ready for New York.' Abreu didn't think an IL stint would be necessary, but losing him for more than a few days would be an obvious blow to the offense. In his last 16 games, he's hitting .300 with an .860 OPS. Prior to the trade deadline, we reported that the Red Sox planned to give outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia playing time at first base in Triple-A Worcester. Garcia has done pre-game work at first over the last two weeks for the WooSox, but played in his first game at the position on Sunday, making a nice pick on one play. Nice pick from Jhostynxon Garcia for an inning ending double play. — Ian Cundall (@IanCundall) August 17, 2025 Garcia is hitting .308 with a .945 OPS in Worcester, but there's little room for him in the big league outfield at the moment. Expanding his defensive versatility might give him a better path to the majors. Meanwhile, Kristian Campbell has continued to excel in Worcester, hitting .323 with a .943 OPS in 26 games since the All-Star break. But when asked this weekend about Campbell's progress, Cora was evasive. 'I've been watching the at-bats,' Cora said. 'He's producing, but there's still work to do.' Advertisement Cora admitted the reality of Campbell's situation: He needs to get better at facing big-league pitching, but he's not seeing big-league pitching in Triple A. 'The same things that he struggled here (in the majors) with — pitch recognition, covering certain shapes of fastballs,' Cora said when asked about what Campbell needs to improve on. 'That's something that is hard, because he's not going to get that down there. The velo here is harder. It's faster. Locations are on point here. With all due respect to players down there, the gap is a big gap. So it's just one of those that, we've got to keep working, and he has to keep working and see what the future holds.' In 67 games with Boston, Campbell hit .223 with a .664 OPS. Like Garcia, Campbell has gotten reps at first base in Worcester, but has mostly played second. He played center field for Worcester on Sunday, the first time he'd done so at Triple A after playing seven games in center earlier this season while in Boston. Now that Marcelo Mayer is officially out for the year with wrist surgery, perhaps the Red Sox will find time for Campbell on the roster at second base, but that remains to be seen. Kutter Crawford spoke with reporters on Friday for the first time since season-ending wrist surgery on July 2. Crawford posted a 4.36 ERA over 33 starts last season, but hasn't played at all in 2025, beginning the year on the IL with a knee injury that he suffered last season and reaggravated just before spring training. As he was working his way back from the knee injury, Crawford described injuring his wrist while doing some routine maintenance around his house. 'It's been tough,' he said. 'I was really close to starting a rehab assignment before I had this incident with the wrist the day before my last live BP. Advertisement 'I was outside, kind of moving some stuff and when I went to move something, it got hung up and it turned my wrist the other way, and I kind of felt a subtle pop,' he said. Crawford took time off from throwing and tried to return to the mound, but still experienced pain. He'd torn the subsheath that holds the tendon in place in his wrist. Over the past six weeks, Crawford has been in the early stages of rehab and noted that with the rest, his knee feels as good as it's felt in 'three or four years.' He's hopeful that issue is behind him and he can focus on his wrist recovery. The plan is to begin throwing in October so that he can be ready by the start of spring training. 'I take pride in being healthy and available and just grabbing the ball every fifth day and competing to the best of my ability,' he said. 'It's been frustrating not being able to go out there and compete and go to battle with my teammates.' (Photo of Wilyer Abreu scoring in the seventh inning, after which he left the game: Bob DeChiara / Imagn Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Wilyer Abreu optimistic he will avoid injured list after leaving game with right calf tightness
After the game, Abreu was optimistic he would avoid an IL stint, though he said he would likely miss the Sox' upcoming two-game series against the Orioles. '[I felt] a little bit tight. I felt a cramp,' Abreu said through a translator. 'So right now I'm day to day. [I will have] to see how I wake up tomorrow, how it evolves, and hopefully I'll be ready. I'll take probably two or three days and be ready for New York [next weekend].' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Prior to departing the game, Abreu had been one of Boston's lone bright spots against Miami starter Janson Junk , getting the Sox on the board with a two-run homer in the fourth and also getting on base with a single in the seventh. Advertisement Abreu has been in a groove in recent weeks, batting .300 with a .860 OPS and 14 RBI in his last 16 games dating to July 28. On the season, his 22 home runs lead the team and his 69 RBI are second. Were Abreu to miss more time, the Sox outfield would likely look just as it did after he exited Sunday's game — with Jarren Duran in left, Ceddanne Rafaela in center, and Roman Anthony in right. Advertisement Garcia at first for Worcester As the Sox continue to explore potential depth options at first base, one name to watch is 22-year-old prospect Jhostynxon Garcia . Garcia, a natural outfielder ranked No. 3 in the Sox' system by MLB Pipeline, began taking ground balls at first base earlier this month, and made his first professional start at the position on Sunday for Triple A Worcester. Garcia has been the Worcester's best hitter since his promotion in mid-May, slashing 309/.372/.578 with 17 home runs in 286 plate appearances entering Sunday. But with the Sox big league outfield already overcrowded, first base could offer Garcia another path to the majors — perhaps as soon as this season. That's especially true with first baseman Toro batting just .183 with a .536 OPS since the All-Star break and just .238 with a .638 OPS since the beginning of June. Bregman gets day off Alex Bregman was out of the lineup Sunday for the first time since July 30 against the Twins. Manager Alex Cora said it was a routine rest day, and Bregman wound up entering in the seventh inning following Abreu's injury … Kristian Campbell started in center field for Worcester Sunday, his first time starting there since returning to the minors in mid-June. Campbell has mostly played first base and second base during his Triple A stint, but played seven games in center in the majors earlier this season … Sunday concluded 'Players' Weekend,' a special three-day event across MLB in which players were encouraged to customize their accessories with exotic colors and designs that showcased their personalities. Among the most unique designs included Bregman's bat which featured drawings by his 3-year-old son, Knox , and Anthony's 'Roman Empire' themed bat which had a silver emperor's mask on the barrel. Advertisement
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Strong outing by starter Davis Martin wasted as the Chicago White Sox get swept by the Kansas City Royals
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