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Marcelo Mayer will nit be back in the Red Sox lineup anytime soon.

The Boston Red Sox left Atlanta with another loss and another question they need to answer. Sunday’s 8-1 defeat to the Atlanta Braves dropped Boston to 19-27 and closed a third straight series loss. Brayan Bello struggled in his return to a traditional starting role. The offense managed one run on nine hits. The day did not offer much to hold onto.

The standings are one problem. The infield is becoming another.

Trevor Story landed on the injured list Saturday with a sports hernia, and surgery remains a possibility. If that happens, Boston could be looking at a much longer absence than a short reset.

That possibility has brought Marcelo Mayer back into a familiar conversation.

Red Sox Get Mayer Update

Mayer has spent most of his baseball life at shortstop. Since reaching the majors, his path has looked different. He played third base last season, moved to second base this year, and has not taken ground balls at shortstop since the offseason.

That may change soon.

“Obviously, that’s home to me,” Mayer said. “That’s where I’ve played my whole life…going to get some reps there in practice whenever I can. But wherever Trace tells you to play, that’s what it’s going to be, whether it’s short, third, second. I’m just here to help the team.”

Mayer was not pushing for anything. He made that clear. He said multiple times that he will play wherever interim manager Chad Tracy needs him.

Still, there is no missing the pull of the position. Shortstop is where Mayer is most comfortable. It is where he became one of the best prospects in baseball. It is where the Red Sox once imagined him settling long term.

Now, because of Story’s injury, that possibility is back on the table.

GettyST LOUIS, MISSOURI – APRIL 12: José Fermín #15 of the St. Louis Cardinals is out at second base as Marcelo Mayer #11 of the Boston Red Sox turns a double play in the fifth inning at Busch Stadium on April 12, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images)

Tracy Explains Boston’s Thinking

The Red Sox are not rushing into the move.

Tracy described the shortstop conversations with Mayer as preliminary. Boston is not simply going to move him across the infield without preparation. Mayer has played only second base this season, and Tracy made clear he would need work before the Red Sox put him at shortstop in a game. Skipping that process would not serve anyone.

Tracy knows what Mayer can do there because he watched him at Triple-A Worcester last year. What he saw stayed with him.

“He’s just a graceful infielder,” Tracy said. “My biggest observation when I watch him play infield, he’s got a very good internal clock. He knows how to approach a ball, he never looks like he’s in a hurry. He’s a good athlete. I think he’s capable of doing anything.”

The athleticism stood out. So did the internal clock. Mayer has never looked rushed in the infield, which is one of the things evaluators have always liked about him.

GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – MAY 17: Jose Azocar #38 of the Atlanta Braves slides into second base safely as Marcelo Mayer #11 of the Boston Red Sox applies the tag during the fourth inning at Truist Park on May 17, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Story’s Timeline Will Decide Everything

If Story misses only a couple of weeks, the Red Sox may prefer to keep Mayer at second base and let Andruw Monasterio handle shortstop in the short term. Monasterio started all three games there against Atlanta and remains the simplest immediate option.

Boston also has Nick Sogard and Isiah Kiner-Falefa available. Sogard was called up after Story went on the injured list. Kiner-Falefa gives the club another flexible option, and on Sunday he completed the full nine-position set for his major league career by entering at first base.

If surgery becomes the decision for Story and the absence stretches into months, Mayer at shortstop becomes much more than a thought exercise.

It becomes a real option.

GettyTrevor Story of the Boston Red Sox.

Final Word for the Red Sox

Everything will depend on Story’s timeline. If it is short term, the Red Sox will patch the position and keep Mayer where he is. If it becomes long term, the conversation changes quickly.

Mayer says shortstop feels like home. Tracy knows he is capable. The Red Sox know what they drafted him to be. Now they need to find out what Story’s injury requires.

The answer may send Mayer back where this all started.