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SF Giants Player Review: Marcelo Mayer's brief audition doesn't tell full story

He was put in a tough spot.
ByNick San Miguel
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Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (11) runs to the dugout after the end of the inning against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (11) runs to the dugout after the end of the inning against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The SF Giants traded away left-handed Erik Miller at the trade deadline to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for infielder Marcelo Mayer. It was a little bit of a surprising move, but from San Francisco’s perspective it was fairly exciting since Mayer was not long ago considered one of the better prospects in baseball.

Of course, things didn’t really work out for him in Boston which is why the Red Sox were open to trading him, but his brief audition with the Giants didn’t go all that great either. That isn’t really his fault, though.

Mayer had just one hit in 17 plate appearances for the Giants at the very end of the season. That doesn’t tell the full story though since he struggled with injury after being traded to San Francisco and had multiple rehab stints due to a foot injury.

It’s entirely possible he was just rusty or wasn’t feeling fully healthy but still wanted to get some big league reps in with San Francisco before the end of the season which may explain why he struggled in that final week.

His numbers with the Red Sox were not all that inspiring. In 2025 he hit .228/.272/.402 with four homers and 10 runs batted in. He followed that up in 2026 by hitting .220/.282/.312 with three homers and 22 RBI.

For whatever reason, he just couldn’t put all of the pieces together but after he got traded there was hope that a return to California might be good for him. Mayer is from Chula Vista and actually grew up hearing about Casey Schmitt so those two are some of the most promising prospects out of San Diego in recent memory.

Mayer could be a part of Giants' infield in 2027

There’s a chance Schmitt and Mayer could both factor into the equation next season. Maybe if the Giants choose to use Schmitt as their left fielder that will open the door for Mayer to be the team’s primary second baseman.

He’d probably have to earn that job in spring training but it’s clear that the Giants acquired him from Boston thinking he could at the very least be a solid depth infielder for them going forward.

Even though his brief audition wasn’t that great, he shouldn’t be judged off such a small sample size when he was pretty clearly rusty. We will see next season whether the trade was really worth it. 

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