Marcelo Mayer’s ‘mental toughness’ being questioned behind the scenes in latest Red Sox drama

Plenty of scrutiny will come with being a struggling top prospect, but having vocal detractors in your own organization is certainly unusual.

That’s what it appears 23-year-old Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer is dealing with as he landed on the 10-day IL with a stress reaction in his forearm Friday.

“Some question his mental toughness and his tendency to withdraw during slumps,” Sean McAdams of Mass Live wrote Friday ahead of Boston’s 6-1 home win over the Yankees.

“Others wonder if he couldn’t do a better job making himself more available through the day-to-day minor physical setbacks that inevitably occur.”

Mayer, the team’s No. 4 pick in the 2021 draft, is having as rough a go of it as his team during his first full season in the majors.

He started the season as the second baseman but moved to shortstop in May when Trevor Story was shut down with a sports hernia injury and he just hasn’t lived up to the billing. 

Mayer, who is hitting just .220 with three homers and a .594 OPS, revealed that he’s been dealing with the injury for around two months, trying to play through it.

He also dealt with injuries in the minors.

Mayer’s defensive metrics have suffered since moving to shortstop, but he’s been overall solid in the field.

“It’s just been on and off,” Mayer told reporters, per MLB.com. “Some days have been worse than others. But yeah, pretty much 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.”

That hasn’t stopped people inside the Red Sox from questioning Mayer’s toughness, according to McAdams, which can be a tough narrative to shed.

The Red Sox, who have beaten the rival Yankees each of the last two nights, are 34-46 and in last place in the AL East and have already fired manager Alex Cora.

They recalled infielder Tsung-Che Cheng, who started against the Yankees on Friday night, to replace Mayer.

He is uncertain when he will be healthy enough to return.

“I’m going to do everything in my power to come back and play, but I think I’ll just trust the medical staff on when that is,” Mayer said. 

Boston is dealing with a rash of injuries in the infield, including Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The ex-Yankee also landed on the IL this week with a stress reaction in his forearm.

Mayer’s future at the major league level this season certainly feels tied to whoever is healthy at the moment, given his struggles.

“Obviously, I’m not happy with the way I’ve been playing,” Mayer said. “I’m not going to make an excuse that it’s been my forearm or anything else. I’m not really too sure.”