A left shoulder impingement derailed what could have been a breakout 2023 season for Mayer, one in which he was promoted to Double-A Portland in late May.
The truth is that Mayer was already hurt by the time he got to Portland, which explains a dramatic dip in production (.189/.254/.355 slash line) at Double-A in a 43-game stint before he was shut down.
“I'm looking forward now,” said Mayer. “It's in the past. My shoulder is in a great spot. I started swinging it a few days ago, it feels as good as ever, so I'm excited for the new year.”
As for looking back, Mayer concedes there is something to be learned.
“Last season, I obviously had the shoulder injury. I hurt it in May, continued to play, and it ended up getting to a point where I just couldn't really do it anymore,” Mayer said. “I think a lot of that's on me not really knowing my body and not knowing how to handle a full season or communicate with my trainers in [the right] way.”
After a conservative winter in terms of baseball activities, Mayer doesn’t see anything holding him back when Spring Training starts next month.
“It's a progression,” Mayer said. “I've started tee and flips. Hopefully soon, I'll start doing live arm [BP] and then in a week or two, start doing machine work.”
Look for Mayer, Anthony and Teel to all start the season at Portland, making that a destination for Red Sox fans who want to watch premium prospects grow together. By midsummer or earlier, some or all of them could earn a ticket to Triple-A Worcester. And everyone knows what comes after that.
“I love it,” Mayer said. “Roman, Teel, they're great players. They love to play, they play hard. We all hold each other accountable. I'm really excited to see what our team is going to look like this year.”