'He's knocking on the door': Top Sox prospect Mayer close to getting call to Triple-A Worcester

When will the kids come to play?

That’s the question swirling around Polar Park these days. And right now, the kid at the top of the class is Marcelo Mayer .

So when can we expect the No. 1 prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization to make his Triple-A debut with the WooSox?

“Something we’ve talked about (with Mayer) is potentially making the trip up to Worcester in the near future, which I’m sure is exciting,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham said on June 22. “But I think he’s knocking on the door to get the call.”

For the second straight season, Mayer was selected to the All-Star Futures Game.

In 271 at-bats and 69 games this year with Double-A Portland, Mayer leads the Eastern League in average (.306), doubles (25) and runs (55). The left-handed hitter also has seven home runs and 13 stolen bases with the Sea Dogs.

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“His bat is something that he’ll be able to continue to increase his power output,” Abraham said. “He leads the Eastern League in doubles currently. Smooth left-handed swing and the final areas he’s trying to improve upon are swing decisions and in-zone contact, hitting the ball more consistently, and attacking the baseball more consistently –– which is a lot of young players.

“But when you start talking about the upper echelon of guys, those small areas to improve are really going to allow for that success to happen.”

The 21-year-old shortstop is the first player in Portland history to be selected to two Futures Games. The native of Chula Vista, California, and No. 7 prospect in baseball (according to MLB.com) is currently enjoying his second stint with the Sea Dogs.

“I’ve got off to a good start, obviously last year didn’t go the way I planned, so it’s always good to bounce back and have all that fun stuff and good numbers on the scoreboard,” Mayer told the T&G last month. “It’s good to see results, and at the end of the day, I’m trying to play hard and play my game.

“For me, it’s day to day, and I think that’s the best.”

Mayer was selected in the first round (fourth overall) by the Boston Red Sox in the 2021 MLB Draft and signed for a franchise-record $6,664,000. He reached Double A last year and did well before suffering a left shoulder impingement in May.

Prior to the injury, Mayer hit .337. After, he slashed .190 before being shut down in August.

Now, the bilingual ballplayer — who missed four games with back stiffness before returning to the lineup in Friday’s suspended game with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and going 1 for 4 with a run and in the Sea Dogs’ loss Saturday — is finding his groove and knocking on the door for a call up to Triple-A Worcester .

“Mayer, obviously, we had last year (in Portland) for a little bit but just never really got off due to the shoulder,” Portland manager Chad Epperson told the T&G in May. “He’s healthy this year and showing a lot more bat speed. The path is better with his approach, and right now, this guy is going foul pole to foul pole, and there’s some good exit velocity, some good launch angle to it, so he’s in a good spot.”

For the second straight season, the Sea Dogs had three players selected to the All-Star Futures Game. Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel will join Mayer in Arlington, Texas, for the All-Star event July 13 at Globe Life Field.

Dubbed the nickname of the “Big 3,” Anthony, Mayer and Teel have enjoyed shared success with the Sea Dogs this season and are the top three “toddlers” everyone is talking about — and wondering when they’ll be invited to play in Worcester.

“It’s not a question if they’re going to (get called up), it’s a question of when,” Abraham said. “Eventually, when that time is right, they will get that opportunity.”

All eyes, however, are currently on the kid at the top of the class: Marcelo Mayer.

He’s the next coming attraction at Polar Park.

“As a player, you want to move up quick and be a big leaguer, but I think you have to handle business where you’re at first,” Mayer said. “The end goal is to be a big-leaguer and be in the show and help the team win, and I think every single player in the minors is trying to be in the big leagues.

“I need to handle business here first and continue doing what I’m doing to make that a possibility.”

—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'He's knocking on the door': Top Sox prospect Mayer close to getting call to Triple-A Worcester