Boston Red Sox
“To be with the team throughout the whole season is special. And I was definitely tearing up in the anthem a little bit.”
Marcelo Mayer made the most of his opportunity on Thursday. Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe
He might not have been in Boston’s starting lineup on Thursday afternoon in Cincinnati, but Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer couldn’t hide his emotions as he took to the field with the rest of his big-league teammates at Great American Ball Park.
“I mean, this is every kid’s dream,” the 23-year-old infielder told MLB Network. “Obviously, I got a cup of coffee last year, but to be on the Opening Day roster is special.
“To be with the team throughout the whole season is special. And I was definitely tearing up in the anthem a little bit.”
Mayer’s spot on the Opening Day roster was far from a guarantee.
Despite Mayer’s lofty draft pedigree (No. 4 overall, 2021) and evident talent, Alex Cora refrained from appointing him as Boston’s regular second baseman until the final days of spring training.
“I wanted to push him,” Cora told The Boston Globe last week about waiting so long to hand Mayer a roster spot. “Nothing is given here, and obviously last year wasn’t great for him offensively.”
Those offensive woes played a part in Cora’s decision to keep Mayer on the bench for Thursday’s opener against the Reds, with Boston opting to hold the talented youngster out of the lineup against left-handed pitching.
As smooth as Mayer might be in the field, his production at the plate last season (.228 batting average, 41 strikeouts in 127 at-bats) and injury woes dampened his abbreviated rookie year in Boston.
Still, Mayer welcomed the clean slate afforded to him in the big leagues this year.
“Not many people are given that opportunity to wear the ‘B’ on the hat and Red Sox across the chest. It’s an amazing feeling, and I don’t believe that should be given to anybody,” Mayer told the Globe. “I love that [Cora] told me I had to work for it, and I took that to heart every day, worked hard, and I’m grateful with the outcome.”
And, on Thursday, Mayer made the most of the at-bats handed to him by Cora.
Entering the game as a pinch-hitter for Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the seventh inning, Mayer made an immediate impact for Boston — going 2-for-2 at the plate and scoring a pair of runs in Boston’s eventual 3-0 win.
“I just try to stay ready for the moment,” Mayer said postgame. “AC makes it clear that when you don’t start the game, he’s going to put you in and you just got to be ready for when your number’s called. Obviously, [Garrett] Crochet did a great job keeping us in it. So it’s easy when the bullpen and our starters put up zeros.”
Mayer helped break a 0-0 deadlock at the top of the seventh inning. In his first at-bat of the 2026 season, Mayer took a high fastball from Pierce Johnson and punched it out to center.
Despite Cincy center fielder TJ Friedl’s diving efforts, the ball landed behind him, allowing Mayer to stroll into second with a lead-off double. A sacrifice bunt from Carlos Narvaez moved Mayer 90 feet from home, with Ceddanne Rafaela singling into center to drive Mayer in for the first run of the day.
It would be all that Boston’s pitching corps would need on an afternoon where they limited the Reds to just four hits and zero runs.
“The pinch hit there, it was huge,” Cora told reporters postgame.
Mayer helped add some extra insurance in the ninth inning, opening the frame with a leadoff single after slapping a fastball into left field. He eventually came around to double Boston’s lead after Trevor Story delivered a two-out, RBI single.
A strong debut won’t guarantee full-time reps for Mayer, at least not during these early days of a new baseball season.
But. his contributions off the bench stood as a positive omen for a talented infielder looking to carve out a greater role with the Red Sox moving forward.
“Means a lot to me, to my family, everybody supporting me back home,” Mayer said of playing on Opening Day. “So I’m super excited for the season.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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