Red Sox place Marcelo Mayer on injured list with stress reaction in his forearm
Already without Opening Day shortstop Trevor Story, the Red Sox face further depletion at the position.
Marcelo Mayer, who took over as the everyday shortstop when Story landed on the injured list last month, was diagnosed with a stress reaction to the ulna in his left forearm and placed on the 10-day injured list Friday before the Red Sox beat the Yankees, 6-1.
Mayer, who is hitting .220/.282/.312 with three homers, said he’s been managing the injury for much of the season. He underwent a CT scan Friday (one day after going 0 for 4 against the Yankees) that revealed the stress reaction.
“Approaching two months, [the injury has] just been on and off. Some days have been worse than others,” said Mayer. “Just had a talk with the medical staff, with the doctors. They pretty much said to put a stop to it or it could possibly get worse. So that’s the decision that we made.”
Mayer said he felt the injury occasionally when gloving a ball on defense and more consistently when swinging. The shortstop wasn’t sure what impact, if any, it had on his yearlong struggles.
“Obviously, I’m not happy with the way I’ve been playing,” said Mayer. “I’m not going to make an excuse that it’s been my forearm or anything else.”
For Mayer, this represents the latest in a succession of injuries. He missed time with a wrist strain in 2022, his 2023 season ended early due to a shoulder injury, his 2024 campaign was abbreviated by lower back spasms, and in 2025 he required season-ending surgery on his wrist in August.
There is no timetable for Mayer’s return. His resumption of baseball activities will await the healing of the bone. Mayer said he’ll be evaluated week-to-week by the team’s medical staff and expressed hope for a speedy return, but admitted exasperation at missing more time.
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“I want to be out there playing more than anybody. If it was up to me, I would still be playing,” said Mayer. “We just came to the conclusion that if I kept playing, it could get worse. So they made that decision for me. Obviously, it’s extremely frustrating. I want to be out there every single day playing with my teammates, but I’ve just got to do whatever I can to work hard and get back on the field.”
With Story, Mayer, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (placed on the IL last week after undergoing a CT scan that offered the same diagnosis — a stress reaction in the left forearm — albeit of greater severity) all sidelined, the Sox are deep into their middle infield depth chart.
“We’ve taken some hits,” said interim manager Chad Tracy, who also bemoaned the ongoing absence of Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony. “You just have to move on, next guy up to help us, and go out and win a ballgame. But we’ve certainly taken more hits on the infield side than anything else.”
Tracy will split shortstop between Tsung-Che Cheng (called up from Triple-A Worcester on Friday and immediately installed in the nine-hole in the lineup, where he went 1-for-3 with his first career hit, RBI, and walk) against righties and Andruw Monasterio against lefties.
On the rehab front
Infielder Romy Gonzalez, recovering from shoulder surgery and recent hip flexor discomfort, went 0 for 3 with a walk at first base for Triple-A Worcester on Friday. He’s 2 for 18 in six games for the WooSox. He’ll meet with the Sox on Saturday to decide if he’ll be activated this weekend or continue his rehab assignment.
Lefthander Jovani Morán, on the IL with left elbow inflammation, will make at least one more rehab appearance over the weekend with the WooSox. He tossed a scoreless inning Thursday . . . Infielder Nick Sogard, on the IL since early June with a right oblique strain, could go on a minor league rehab assignment as soon as next week.
Sox royalty checks in
Hall of Famers Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz were both at Fenway on Friday. Reliever Greg Weissert, an avid baseball card collector, was elated to show Martinez a signed 1991 card he’d recently procured of the three-time Cy Young winner as a member of the Dodgers . . . Ian Browne of MLB.com was honored on the field prior to Friday’s game for his 25 years of tireless coverage of the Red Sox. Browne received an MLB gold card — a lifetime pass for entry into ballparks — in recognition of his work.
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