Marcelo

Mayer

Mayer is out for the year after undergoing wrist surgery last month, but he should be at full strength for 2026 and serve as a starter somewhere in Boston’s infield.

Mayer’s surgery was performed by Dr. Matthew Leibman at Mass General-Brigham Hospital. The 22-year-old will likely miss the remainder of the season while having a chance to help the Red Sox at the start of 2026.

This was always a potential outcome from the moment Mayer hit the injured list back in late July with a wrist sprain. Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Sunday that the 22-year-old prospect simply hasn’t bounced back as expected from a recent cortisone injection and will require a surgical procedure. There should be a definitive return timeline at some point in the coming weeks, but early indications are that Mayer will be a full-go in time for spring training.

This is the beginning of Mayer resuming baseball activities. The 22-year-old rookie received a cortisone injection a week ago and now will begin the process of testing out how his wrist responds to that before determining whether or not he can continue to play this season. Off-season wrist surgery may be in the cards regardless, but Red Sox fans and fantasy managers would love to see Mayer get back on the field before the end of this season.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora didn’t have much information to offer prior to Sunday’s game against the Giants. The 22-year-old former top prospect received an injection in his sprained right wrist last weekend and remains without a return timeline.

Mayer told reporters he’s dealt with this type of wrist issue previously in his career and added that he would be sidelined for 2-3 months if he winds up requiring microfracture surgery. The 22-year-old rookie remains without a definitive return timetable after receiving a PRP injection over the weekend to address inflammation in his sprained right wrist.

Mayer will need to rest for 72 hours but will be able to resume baseball activities on Wednesday to see whether the injection helped with the pain. The Red Sox believe this gives Mayer the best chance to get back on the field this season, but they would need to explore other options, perhaps surgery, if he doesn’t respond well to the injection.

Nightegale adds that “Mayer’s sprained wrist is more serious than the Red Sox initially envisioned, and season-ending surgery is a possibility after consulting with specialists.” Red Sox manager Alex Cora expressed optimism Friday that Mayer could return this season, but there’s nothing definitive from the club at the moment. There should be some much-needed clarity on the 22-year-old top prospect’s status at some point soon.

Mere moments after the Red Sox listed their lineup for Friday’s game, Boston announced that Mayer would need to be placed on the injured list after exiting Wednesday’s game with discomfort in his wrist. The infielder told reporters that he’ll visit with specialists in the coming days to determine treatment, but there’s no structural damage to the wrist, which is a positive sign. David Hamilton is up to take Mayer’s place on the roster.

Mayer left Wednesday’s game with right wrist discomfort and he’ll remain out of action to begin Friday’s contest. The 22-year-old should be considered day-to-day for now, but Ceddanne Rafaela gets the start at second base for Friday’s opener against Los Angeles.