Red Sox Move Marcelo Mayer to Shortstop

Overview

• The Red Sox installed Marcelo Mayer as their starting shortstop for Sunday after giving him extra infield reps during a recent trip to Kansas City.
• Trevor Story underwent sports-hernia surgery and is expected to miss multiple weeks, a development that accelerated Boston's plan to shift Mayer to shortstop.
• Mayer spent most of his minor-league career at shortstop but had logged only a few big-league innings there this season, so coaches say they will manage his starts and continue position work.
• With Mayer at short, Nick Sogard was moved to second base and Mayer was slotted eighth in the lineup for the immediate game, while Major League Baseball monitored weather for first pitch.
• Mayer is widely praised for his defense but has struggled at the plate, so his move gives Boston a short-term defensive solution and creates a lineup that the team will tweak based on matchups and further practice.