The Giants are finding out what the Red Sox already knew: Marcelo Mayer’s talent has never been the question.
Durability has been.
Boston’s deadline move for former San Francisco Giants reliever Erik Miller was one of the most stunning deals of the summer, and it came at Mayer’s expense. The Red Sox sent away the former top prospect and once-promising shortstop of the future after previously turning down a chance to move him for Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, a decision that looks smart in hindsight.
There were reasons Boston was willing to pull the trigger. Mayer’s first stretch in the majors didn’t exactly force the issue, as he hit just .220/.282/.312 across 70 games in the 2026 season. But the bigger concern has followed him everywhere: the injuries.
That problem has already shown up again in San Francisco.
Mayer had been sidelined for more than a month with a forearm issue when Boston dealt him to the Giants. He started a rehab assignment on August 13, but that return hit another snag.
John Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reported on August 21 that the Giants paused Mayer’s rehab after a flare-up of a bone bruise in his foot from a previous injury. As of August 24, he still had not appeared in another rehab game.
It’s a familiar story for Mayer. Even before reaching the big leagues, he had trouble staying on the field long enough to build momentum.
He never played more than 91 games in a season, with that mark last reached in 2022. In four of his five professional seasons, he landed on the injured list at least once.
The lone exception was his 2021 debut in the Florida Complex League, when he played only 26 games.
That limited run of games has clearly slowed his development, and it may have changed the shape of his career.
Meanwhile, Miller has looked every bit like the kind of arm Boston wanted in a playoff push. He has yet to allow an earned run, giving up seven hits with 15 strikeouts and three walks over 9.1 innings.
The Red Sox long treated Mayer as a future core piece, which is why it felt so unusual to see him moved for a reliever, even one pitching as well as Miller. Mayer is still young and still has time to establish himself as a big leaguer, but for now Boston looks justified in moving on and getting a controllable impact piece for the stretch run and beyond.
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