The Boston Red Sox can breathe a sigh of relief, as it doesn't appear the wrist injury top prospect Marcelo Mayer has been dealing with is anything serious.
The Boston Globe's Alex Speier reported Sunday that the Red Sox placed Mayer on the injured list at Single-A Salem due to persistent soreness in his right wrist. Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham told Speier the 19-year-old was in Boston for testing and further evaluation.
Speier offered an update Tuesday, tweeting that Mayer saw a hand specialist and an MRI confirmed the diagnosis of a right wrist sprain. Mayer is expected to resume baseball activity soon, per Speier.
Mayer's playing time at Salem has been sporadic due to the injury, with the shortstop appearing in just four games since April 23. According to Speier, the wrist soreness developed during Mayer's non-game baseball activities and the organization ultimately decided to place him on the IL when it didn't dissipate.
Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft, is arguably the Red Sox's top prospect, with Triston Casas and Nick Yorke among Boston's other farmhands garnering national attention. MLB Pipeline on Monday ranked Mayer at No. 10 on its updated Top 100 Prospects list.
Mayer has a .333/.386/.507 slash line to go along with one home run, 13 RBIs and four stolen bases in 17 games (83 plate appearances) with Salem this season.
