MLB Notebook: Marcelo Mayer gets his shot, Brayan Bello's future murky, Red Sox trade rumors swirl

Marcelo Mayer is making his first major league start at shortstop today for the Red Sox.

The California native has been taking ground balls at the position throughout the week following Trevor Story’s placement on the injured list with a sports hernia. Boston opted to wait before making the move permanent until it had a clearer understanding of Story’s recovery timeline.

After Story underwent sports hernia surgery on Thursday, the Red Sox had a better understanding of his timeline and moved forward with Mayer at shortstop.

With Story facing an extended absence, the Red Sox are finally turning to the player many believe is the organization’s long-term answer at the position.

Mayer was drafted fourth overall in 2021 as a shortstop and has spent the overwhelming majority of his professional career there. Prior to Sunday, however, Mayer had appeared exclusively at second and third base since arriving in Boston.

Now, the Red Sox will get their first extended look at whether their former top prospect can handle shortstop at the major league level.

“We started proactively getting Marcelo some work there this past week in Kansas City, so tentatively planning right now [on] maybe getting him out there Sunday,” said interim manager Chad Tracy. “There's a little bit more work [interim bench coach José David Flores] wants to do with him, but I definitely think you'll see more of him there. Does that mean he'll play there every single day? Maybe not, but we're definitely going to explore that.”

With Story's recovery timeline is expected to fall somewhere in the six-to-10-week range. That would likely keep the veteran shortstop sidelined for all of June and most of July as he works his way back.

Since Story landed on the injured list, the Red Sox have relied primarily on utility infielders at shortstop, rotating Andruw Monasterio, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Nick Sogard through the position.

But Mayer has always been viewed as Boston’s long-term answer at shortstop, and Story’s latest injury has accelerated that timeline.

The 23-year-old has appeared in 45 games this season, all at second base, making 39 starts. As a rookie last year, Mayer logged just three innings at shortstop, despite spending the vast majority of his amateur and professional career at the position.

Now, with Mayer penciled in to start at shortstop Sunday afternoon, Red Sox fans should expect to see him there on a regular basis moving forward.

Tracy indicated that he does not envision shuffling Mayer back and forth between second base and shortstop, suggesting the organization wants to give the former first-round pick a legitimate opportunity to settle in at his natural position and establish himself as Boston’s everyday shortstop.

“I feel like I feel comfortable anywhere defensively,” said Mayer. “Obviously it’s been months since I’ve played short, so maybe it’s different, the in-game reads and stuff. But as far as fielding ground balls and throwing it to first base, I feel pretty confident in my ability to do so wherever. That’s home to me. That’s where I’ve played my whole life.”

Tracy, who managed Mayer during the early portion of the 2025 season at Triple-A Worcester, is confident the rookie will make a smooth transition back to his natural position.

Before taking over as Boston’s interim manager, Tracy watched Mayer handle shortstop on an everyday basis with the WooSox, giving him firsthand insight into the infielder’s defensive instincts, footwork, and comfort level at the position.

Throughout his minor league career, Mayer appeared in 269 games at shortstop, committing 44 errors while posting a .953 fielding percentage. 

With Mayer shifting across the diamond, Boston gains additional flexibility at second base. The Red Sox can now rotate Monasterio, Kiner-Falefa, and Sogard through the position depending on matchups, while maintaining depth across the infield.

Romy Gonzalez is also expected to factor into the equation once he returns from the injured list.

The infielder has begun taking swings off soft toss in the batting cage as he continues his recovery from an arthroscopic debridement procedure on his left, non-throwing shoulder. Gonzalez has been on the 60-day injured list since March 12 after undergoing surgery earlier this spring.

“It’s good that he’s swinging,” Tracy said Saturday. “I mean, he’s been able to go out and throw and do some things and he’s doing work on the side with Flo (infield instructor José Flores), which is good. But the fact that he’s got a bat in his hand and he’s swinging at a ball that’s coming at him, even if it’s just a flip, is good news for us.”

The 29-year-old originally injured the shoulder during Boston’s Sept. 19-21 series in Tampa Bay last season. Imaging later revealed inflammation, and lingering discomfort limited him throughout the offseason. Gonzalez attempted to avoid surgery by receiving a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection before spring training, but ultimately underwent the procedure in March.

“I know there’s a lot of two-hand stuff now,” Tracy said. “You guys know Romy with a big-one hand finish (with his swing), so it’s like a lot of two hand stuff now. You move and then he’ll graduate into like doing more of his one-hand finish with that left arm. So there’s still some time to go there. But the fact that he’s swinging a bat is good news.”

Whenever he returns, the Red Sox will gladly welcome his bat back into the lineup.

Gonzalez hit .305 with an .826 OPS in 96 games last season and was particularly dominant against left-handed pitching, batting .331 with a .600 slugging percentage and .978 OPS across 143 plate appearances against southpaws.

His return would give Boston another versatile infield option and provide additional offensive upside for a lineup that has struggled to consistently score runs throughout the first two months of the season.

While no player should automatically lose his job because of an injury, this situation is more nuanced.

If Mayer proves capable of handling shortstop defensively and provides more overall value than Story, the Red Sox may finally get answers to questions that have lingered since drafting him fourth overall in 2021. An extended run at the position would allow Boston to evaluate whether Mayer can be its everyday shortstop, not just for the remainder of this season, but for years to come.

Should Mayer seize the opportunity, it could also create a path for Story to move to second base upon his return. Such a move would lessen the physical demands placed on the veteran while allowing the Red Sox to keep one of their clubhouse leaders in the lineup. Which, if finally healthy, Story could tap into the player he was in 2025 over the final stretch run of this season. 

For now, Mayer has an opportunity to audition for the position he was always projected to play and determine whether he’s ready to establish himself as the club’s long-term answer at shortstop.

Fighting For a Job?

Brayan Bello has been underwhelming this season, forcing the Red Sox to use the righty following an opener the last couple of weeks. His latest outing in that role came on Saturday, in the 4-2 loss to the Twins at Fenway Park. 

Boston is getting closer to getting to full strength in its rotation with Garrett Crochet expected to face live hitters on Tuesday, and from there, the club will determine if the lefty is ready to rejoin the big league club. 

That realization has made Bello feel like he’s pitching for his job as a starter with the Red Sox. In 10 appearances this season, he’s pitching to a 6.43 ERA, and with the emergence of Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, Bello is the logical choice to get bumped from the rotation. 

As a starter, Bello has a 9.68 ERA, allowing 33 earned runs in 30 2/3 innings. He’s been solid as a bulk-innings option, pitching to a 0.98 ERA, giving up just two earned runs in 18 1/3 innings. Despite the numbers, Tracy wants to see consistency out of the right-hander. 

“I think regardless of whether he’s