Much was made this week of the arrival of baseball’s No. 1 prospect, Roman Anthony, to the Red Sox.
But he’s not the only star rookie in Boston. The Red Sox previously called up shortstop Marcelo Mayer, the No. 8 prospect in the sport. And he broke out Wednesday with two home runs in his first two at-bats to lead the Red Sox to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Mayer, who hits seventh for the Red Sox, gave Boston the lead in the second inning Wednesday. With the game tied 1-1, Mayer launched a first-pitch slider from Rays starter Zack Littell over the right-field wall at Fenway Park.
Two innings later, he did it again.
The second time, Littell left an 82 mph splitter over the heart of the plate on a 1-1 count. Mayer made him pay with another shot over the right-field wall close to the location of his first home run.
The second blast gave the Red Sox a 3-1 lead and held up as the difference in a 4-3 win. Mayer finished the night 2-for-4 at the plate.
The home runs were the first at Fenway Park for Mayer and boosted his career total to three. It was the second straight night that a Red Sox rookie did damage against the Rays after Anthony’s two-run double on Tuesday proved to be the difference in a 3-1 Red Sox win.
Anthony arrived in Boston on Monday with enormous hype, thanks to an offensive skill set that has scouts drooling. Mayer made his big-league debut three weeks earlier to considerably less fanfare. But he’s also one of baseball’s top prospects, and he showed the Rays he’s a force in his 15th MLB game.
The pair represent the future for the Red Sox. But a Boston team that limped to 33-36 start prior to Wednesday is hoping both can make a difference as the team looks to gain ground in the AL playoff race. They each made a statement against the Rays in back-to-back Boston victories.