The Marcelo Mayer, Alex Bregman pressers
By the time the day ended, the Red Sox had settled into life as a .500 team exactly one-third of the way through the season. On the surface, it seems innocuous enough.
But, in reality, it will be difficult to not look back at Saturday as a fork-in-the-road when it comes to the 2025 Red Sox' existence.
As far as the doubleheader against the Orioles went: They won one, thanks to Rafael Devers' walk-off, 10th-inning single. They lost one, spoiling seven shutout innings from Lucas Giolito and ultimately succumbing to an over-taxed bullpen and single runs by the Orioles in the eighth and ninth innings.
All of that, was secondary.
If you truly wanted the meat-and-potatoes of this out-of-the-ordinary afternoon, all attention should be turned to about eight minutes worth interviews conducted in front of a white wall in the middle of the Red Sox' clubhouse in between the two games.
The first to step up and talk was Alex Bregman. Just moments before Red Sox manager Alex Cora had identified the third baseman's quad injury as "signficant" and suggested the timetable for a return would align with what Bregman when through in 2021 when he missed nearly 10 weeks due to a similar ailment.
"It is what it is and now try and take it day by day and crush rehab," said a somewhat emotional Bregman. "It felt better [Friday]. Then [Friday] night I couldn’t really fall asleep. It started to hurt pretty good, and then after the MRI, found out it was pretty severely strained, and now it’s time to focus on rehab. But, yeah, neither of [the quad injuries] really felt that good."
Then, just a few minutes later, the mood turned. Marcelo Mayer - the eighth-ranked prospect in baseball and the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft - stepped in the exact space Bregman just vacated.
His day had included being informed by Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy that Mayer would be headed to the majors, leading the infielder to try and unsuccessfully find keys to a car he hadn't driven in weeks. After securing a chauffeur to Boston, he entered his new world as a big leaguer.
After the initial awkwardness of finding his locker, routine and equipment, Mayer settled into his piece of the Game 2 puzzle. He hit sixth. He played third base. He got a standing ovation. He struck out three times and grounded out in ninth. And he got to live his dream.
"It’s awesome," Mayer said after the Red Sox' 2-1 loss. "I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life. … It’s definitely something I will remember for the rest of my life. You just feel like a rush throughout your whole body, but at the same time, it’s kind of hard to take it in because you have to do a job."
Now comes the unknown.
While the idea of Mayer playing in Boston has clearly energized what has been a somewhat beaten down fan base, counting on his presence to supply certainty could be a dangerous leap of faith.
The Red Sox have taken out one of the best hitters in baseball in Bregman for most likely two months, also eliminating a couple of key elements in the process. There has been a reason the veteran has been a perfect fit for this team, and now they are left patching the holes left behind with some true unknowns.
Bregman was one of the few hitters in the Red Sox' lineup who doesn't swing and miss. He also represents a much-needed right-handed bat at the top of the batting order. And, while Mayer might be an above-average fielder, he had only played third base four times in Worcester and will need to get accustomed to this new position.
The best version of a revamped lineup would likely be moving Rafael Devers back to third base, freeing up the designated hitter spot for a combination of Rob Refsnyder and Masa Yoshida. That, for the time being, isn't going to happen, with Cora once again proclaiming that Devers would not be in mix for either first or third base.
The giddiness that has come Mayer's presence is a positive, but it can't be viewed as the only solution to what has become a significant problem for a team that had pushed its chips to the middle of the table to start the season.
The good news is that there are options, if the Red Sox are willing to get a bit creative. Roman Anthony could represent another wave of Mayer-esque optimism. And Kristian Campbell's offensive existence is seemingly taking a step forward, as was evident with his at-bats in the last few days.
But, make no mistake about, the Red Sox have some work to do, and some risks to take.