Weeks after his promotion to High-A baseball, Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer hit a home run in the clutch on Wednesday night. Tie game with two outs in the top of the eighth inning, Mayer blasted a pitch to right-center to give his team the 9-8 lead.
Mayer was promoted to the High-A Red Sox affiliate Greenville after impressing in Single-A, where he hit for .286, along with a .910 OPS, nine home runs and 40 RBIs in 66 games. He’s played eight games in Greenville, hitting .242 and a .766 OPS with two home runs and five RBIs.
The 19-year-old has plenty of time to develop into a star in the MLB, and MLB.com‘s top 100 prospect rankings placed Mayer eighth overall.
Reinforcements are on the way for the Red Sox
BOSTON, MA – MAY 22: Kiké Hernandez #5 of the Boston Red Sox runs out onto the field prior to first pitch against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park on May 22, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)
The big addition for the Red Sox will come with the activation of Kiké Hernandez off the injured list.
On the shelf since June 7 with a hip injury, Hernandez will return to the Boston lineup and play shortstop on Tuesday night, and is more than happy to put a brutal-sounding injury behind him.
Kiké Hernández just said the hip/core injury he had led to a hematoma in one of his abdominal muscles and 16 ccs of blood was drained out through a needle in his back. His entire right side felt like “a switch turned off.” That’s what led to his long IL stint.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) August 16, 2022It hasn’t been an amazing year for Hernandez by any stretch — he rejoins the roster with a .209 average, four homers, and 24 RBIs in 51 games this season — but his return does give the Red Sox some much-needed versatility with their lineup.
A do-it-all man for Alex Cora’s squad, Hernandez will likely move out to center field for a fully (as good as it’ll get in 2022, anyway) healthy Red Sox team.
That will presumably ease back the team’s reliance on Jarren Duran, which would probably be in the best interest of all involved, as Duran has struggled to the tune of a .179 average and 10 strikeouts in 39 at bats this month.
Jul 25, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rob Refsnyder (30) rounds the bases and scores a run against the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park. (Gregory Fisher/USA TODAY Sports)
The Red Sox will also get Rob Refsnyder back with the team for Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.
On the injured list with a sprained knee, Refnsyder will make his return to the Major League roster after a two-game rehab stint with Double-A Portland. It was about as good a rehab cameo for Refsnyder as there could have been, as he went 3-for-4 with a double and two home runs.
A surprise breakout talent, the 31-year-old Refsnyder is hitting .309 with four homers, six doubles, and 12 RBIs in 34 games with the Red Sox this season.
Jul 31, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (31) throws in the outfield before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. (Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports)
The team also has reliever Jeurys Familia officially on the roster a week after signing with the club.
Familia, an All-Star with the Mets back in 2016, appeared in 38 games with the Phillies this season prior to signing with the Red Sox. In Philadelphia, Familia went 1-1 with six holds and a 6.09 ERA in 34 innings of work.
The 32-year-old made one appearance for Triple-A Worcester prior to his call to Boston, and surrendered zero hits and struck out the side in his lone inning of work for the Woo Sox.
Aug 4, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Jaylin Davis (43) makes a diving catch during the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. (Peter Aiken/USA TODAY Sports)
In a series of corresponding moves, the Red Sox optioned pitcher Kaleb Ort to Worcester (that came with Familia activated a few days ago), and optioned outfielder Jaylin Davis down to Worcester on Monday.
Ort has been hammered for 24 hits and 17 runs (15 of which were earned), along with a 9.00 ERA and opponents hitting .375 off him, in 15 innings of work over 12 appearances this season.
Davis, meanwhile, returns to the minors with a .333 average (8-for-24) and two RBIs in 12 games with Boston this season.
And with the team needing to make one more move to get under the roster limit Tuesday, the Red Sox designated infielder Yolmer Sanchez for assignment. The switch-hitting depth infielder went just 4-for-37 (.108 average) in 14 games with the Red Sox.