FORT MYERS, Fla. — All spring, the Red Sox knew Marcelo Mayer was likely to be in their Opening Day lineup, but never offered him the comfort of a guaranteed job.
Why not?
“I wanted to push him,” Sox manager Alex Cora said on Saturday, after announcing Mayer as his starting second baseman five days before Opening Day. “Nothing is given here.”
The team sought specific on-field improvements, particularly when it came to Mayer tightening his strike zone and chasing fewer pitches. But perhaps more significantly, the team wanted the 23-year-old to approach his work and routines with purpose, structure, and urgency.
Cora, coaches, and veteran teammates all held Mayer to high account about this throughout the spring — particularly early in camp. Mayer’s elite defensive skills and significant offensive potential have never been a question since the Sox made him the fourth pick in the 2021 draft.
“Obviously, the talent is through the roof,” said Sox shortstop Trevor Story.
While the team recognized an infielder with a tremendous ceiling, this spring they wanted him to solidify his floor. To this point in his professional career, Mayer has struggled to handle the physical demands of a full season.
He has never played more than 91 games in a season. He had wrist injuries in 2022, a shoulder injury incurred running the bases in 2023, a lower back strain in 2024, and in 2025, a recurrence of the wrist injury that ultimately required surgery.
The Sox were encouraged last year by Mayer’s feverish push to get back on the field had the team advanced in the postseason.
“He did an amazing job,” said Cora.
Mayer continued his efforts into an offseason committed to strength gains. The team didn’t want to see any letup this spring.
The spring training schedule can be challenging. Days start early, and with Mayer needing to layer time in the trainer’s room for work on his wrist into the rest of his activities — hitting in the cage, one-on-one defensive work, strength and conditioning, team workouts and drills, games — he seemed in a never-ending rush, sprinting from one activity to the next.
Often, he’d get through his work just in time for the start of team drills. Occasionally, he ran slightly behind. Members of the organization reinforced their expectations.
“I’ve said: ‘Hey, you’re really good, but you can be extremely good. If you want to be up there, you have to just continue to work. You need to be on time. You need to take care of your pregame. You need to take care of your body. You need to do the things to prepare to win a ballgame,’” said first base and infield coach José Flores. “If he continues to do that, he’ll be just fine.”
It’s one thing for coaches to offer those messages. Guidance hits differently when it comes from fellow players.
Veterans who’d been in similar positions tried to guide Mayer, encouraging him to build more time into his day for managing all of his responsibilities. In particular, Willson Contreras and Story pushed Mayer to sharpen his routines.
“Leadership like that in the clubhouse is only going to push for the best version of every player,” said director of major league development Chris Stasio. “It’s hard to spend time around Marcelo and not be like, ‘Wow, this kid has a really amazing skill set — what can we do to help him?’ Willson, Trevor, anyone in that clubhouse who has been around, seen it, done it, come up as prospects themselves, they want to challenge guys like Marcelo, Roman [Anthony], and anyone else who’s just getting their feet wet at the major league level.”
Contreras was at times funny but blunt in offering feedback to Mayer — “He’s intense, very straightforward,” said Story — while Story offered lessons drawn from his own experience.
“Sometimes you’ve got to step back and look at your day kind of like a businessman. Are you really giving yourself enough time to do everything that you need to do?” said Story. “He’s learning his body, what he needs to do. There’s everyday core things that you have to do. You nail those every single day. They’re non-negotiable in setting yourself up for success.”
Mayer expressed appreciation for the message and messengers.
“It’s great to have those guys in the clubhouse. They have so much experience and knowledge,” he said.
Over the spring, members of the Sox saw Mayer not only perform at a high level in games — showing excellent defense and a more disciplined approach at the plate — but also finding a better rhythm in his work.
In that progress, members of the Sox believe Mayer is developing a sharpened understanding of how to remain healthy and reliable for 2026.
“He’s taken the bull by the horns. Over this camp, he’s been great. It started in the offseason,” said Story. “There’s some [injuries] that you can really avoid by being diligent and just being disciplined. He’s definitely all-in on that, and it’s been fun to see. I expect a big year out of him, and he does, too, out of himself. We’re going to need him to be that player and to be steady and healthy to be where we want to go.”
Mayer understands and appreciates what it means for members of the team to see their success entwined with his availability. Now, having earned the Opening Day job, he wants to prove capable of the responsibility’s that come with the position.
“The better I am and the better year I have, the better the team is. Same with everybody in here,” he said. “I’ve just got to go out there and play my game and try to get better so I can help the team win.”
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.