Red Sox infielder Marcelo Mayer will play for Team Mexico in the upcoming World Baseball Classic in 2026, per WEEI reporter Rob Bradford on July 1.
Marcelo Mayer told me today that he is planning on playing for Team Mexico in the @WBCBaseball next year
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) July 1, 2025
Mayer, a Mexican-America, is a rising star in the Red Sox organization and grew up 10 minutes from the Mexican border in Chula Vista, California. He got a taste of international competition this past spring with the Boston Red Sox in Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey in Mexico against the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol’s Sultanes de Monterrey on May 24, where he went 2-for-4 with one home run and a game-high five RBI in a Red Sox 10-1 win.
He came into this season as MLB Pipeline.com’s 12th-rated prospect in their Top 100 Rankings. He got called up to the Red Sox to make his MLB debut on May 24 against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. So far, he’s hit four home runs and recorded seven RBIs and an OPS of .709 in 82 at-bats.
Mayer is a left-handed hitter who can play all second, third, and shortstop, where played the majority of his Minor League games at shortstop. With the Red Sox, he has played 21 out of his 28 MLB games at third base, filling in for the injured Alex Bregman.
In 2021, Mayer was the fourth overall pick in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista. He made his organizational debut on Aug. 5, 2021, with the Red Sox Florida Complex League team.
The next season, he started with their Low-A affiliate, the Salem Red Sox. He got promoted to their High-A affiliate, the Greenville Drive, on Aug. 9, 2022.
Mayer played in the MLB Futures All-Star game at Safeco Field in Seattle in 2023 and 2024 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. He got called up to their Double-A affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs, to start the second half of the season in 2023.
On Aug. 20, 2024, he got promoted to their Triple-A affiliate, the Worcester Red Sox. In five minor league seasons from 2021-25, he has 46 home runs, 205 RBIs, 48 stolen bases, and a slash line of .273/.360/.466 in 1,225 at-bats.
Mexico lost 6-5 in the semifinals of the 2023 WBC to Japan at loanDepot Park in Miami.
Photo: Boston Red Sox’s Marcelo Mayer signs autographs during baseball spring training at Jet Blue Park Wednesday March 16, 2022, in Fort Myers, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
