Former Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer ‘super excited’ for fresh start with Giants

SAN FRANCISCO — Marcelo Mayer still has plenty of baseball ahead of him this season. The 23-year-old infielder, who was one of the game’s most heralded prospects less than a year ago with the Boston Red Sox, hopes to finish his rehab from a stress reaction in his forearm and make his debut with the San Francisco Giants on the team’s upcoming road trip.

But the Chula Vista, Calif., native is also getting a head start on a typical offseason.

“It’s been, like, six months since I had a burger from In-N-Out, so had to go back,” said Mayer, whom the Giants acquired from Boston at the Aug. 3 trade deadline. “That’s usually the first thing I do when I get home in the offseason. So I was able to get one two months early.”

The Giants have an appetite, too. They are undermanned on the infield now that Casey Schmitt has undergone season-ending left knee surgery, third baseman Matt Chapman is likely headed for season-ending sports hernia surgery and All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez is winning new fans in Philadelphia.

Even if the Giants have to ride out choppy weather for the remainder of the season with a reduced roster, it might feel a bit smoother to watch potential stars like Bryce Eldridge and Mayer offer promise of better days ahead.

Multiple injuries kept Mayer from making the impact that Red Sox fans expected after the team drafted him with the No. 4 pick in 2021. But he hasn’t done anything to be a disappointment in San Francisco. Standing in front of his new locker in the Giants clubhouse Saturday morning, Mayer agreed that a change of scenery might benefit him as he seeks to reach his potential.

“I’m just super excited for the opportunity that I have here,” said Mayer, whose last name is pronounced MY-er. “Obviously, being back on the West Coast, being comfortable, close to family, I’m just super excited. The guys have welcomed me with open arms. I’m excited to get going.”

Mayer was drafted out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, and barely missed playing with Schmitt, who graduated when Mayer was in the ninth grade.

“It’s a small community where we live, and there’s a lot of great baseball talent,” Mayer said. “So we all know each other, and the baseball world is pretty small. I’ve known Casey pretty much my whole life. I mean, he was on the best Eastlake baseball team that’s ever played. So he’s pretty much (a) legend over there.”

Mayer also knows Rafael Devers, whom the Giants acquired from the Red Sox last year.

“He’s one of the best hitters I’ve ever been around,” Mayer said. “To have him here as a resource and as a teammate, I’m super excited for that.”

Mayer was Boston’s opening day second baseman and struggled to a .594 OPS before he was shut down in late June with the forearm injury, which he chalked up to overswinging in the cage. He began taking swings against high velocity over the past few days and will join Triple-A Sacramento in Las Vegas next week to start a rehab assignment.

“I feel way better,” Mayer said. “I feel like I’ve turned the corner.”

Mayer started drills with renowned infield coach Ron Washington on Friday and was at it again on Saturday, kneeling in the grass and using a pancake-shaped training glove to pick throws. He can play shortstop, but his best positions are third and second, where he is likely to see the most time.

And yes, he noticed that the Giants’ next trip, which begins in Cleveland, will finish with a three-game series at Fenway Park. The Aug. 21-23 series has been circled on the calendar for months because it will be Devers’ first games in Boston as a visiting player. Now it’s set up to be a double feature.

“Definitely thought about it,” Mayer said. “That would be for sure a good experience. But before that, I’ve just got to make sure that I’m ready to play and healthy and doing whatever I can to help the team win.”

Giants manager Tony Vitello described Mayer as “on a mission,” and said the team “will be here to pull the potential out of him because … he can do a lot of dynamic things on the field, but I think (the goal is) adding consistency to that, and increasing those moments that make him a standout player.”

Mayer described his process as “getting back to doing things that I was doing in the minors that made me successful, doing stuff that I know that worked for me, that worked for me my whole life. Then it’s talking to hitting coaches, getting to understand the philosophy here, and growing that relationship with them, and going from there.”