Red Sox shut down top prospect Marcelo Mayer due to shoulder injury

The Boston Red Sox have seen enough of Marcelo Mayer for 2023.

The team is shutting down its top prospect for the season so he can focus on rehabbing his shoulder.

MLB.com's Red Sox reporter Ian Browne posted an updated from Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham on Wednesday afternoon.

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Update from Sox director of player dev. Brian Abrahaim on Marcelo Mayer. "Marcelo will not play again this year in Portland. He will focus on his rehab in Fort Myers - strengthening of his shoulder, so he can have a full, normal offseason. We are very pleased with the progress…
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) September 6, 2023

Mayer hasn't played for Double-A Portland since Aug. 2 because of left shoulder inflammation.

The Red Sox selected Mayer with the No. 4 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, and he quickly became the franchise's No. 1 prospect. In fact, Baseball America ranked Mayer as the 15th-best prospect in all of baseball last month.

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Given Mayer's importance to the organization, it makes sense to shut him down and make sure no further damage is done to his shoulder.

Mayer hit .189 with six home runs, 20 RBI, 20 runs scored, four stolen bases and a .254 on-base percentage in 43 games for the Sea Dogs this year. Before being promoted to Double-A, Mayer batted .290 with seven homers, 34 RBI, 23 runs scored, five steals and a .366 on-base percentage in 35 games for High-A Greenville. His defense in both Portland and Greenville was quite impressive.