From the moment Marcelo Mayer was drafted No. 4 overall in 2021, Red Sox fans have anxiously awaited his eventual arrival as a big league cornerstone.

Now, after an up-and-down rookie season, Mayer will have an opportunity to prove he’s ready to become part of the franchise’s present, not just its future.

Speaking to reporters in Fort Myers, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Mayer will be in the mix for a starting job this spring. He said the club is confident Mayer will be a good defender at whatever position he plays, and that he looks good after an offseason rehabbing the wrist injury that cut his 2025 season short.

“He has a chance to come into camp and compete and show us what he’s capable of doing,” Breslow told reporters in Fort Myers on Wednesday. “We’ve had a lot of excitement around him for a long time and we’re looking forward for that to come out in his play.”

With no established starter at either second or third base, Mayer is expected to get reps at both throughout the spring. He and new arrival Caleb Durbin are the early favorites to start at those positions, though who plays where will be determined over the coming weeks and months.

Breslow also said he looks bigger and stronger and has been moving well, but that keeping Mayer healthy will be a top priority.

While nobody has ever questioned Mayer’s talent, his durability has been a problem throughout his professional career. Mayer has yet to play more than 91 games in a season since joining the Red Sox and has ended the year on the injured list in each of the past three seasons.

To help better prepare his body for the rigors of a full big league season, Mayer has made getting bigger and stronger a top priority this winter.

“It was one of the main goals I set for myself going into the offseason. I weighed in at 218 (pounds) right now, which is by far the heaviest I’ve ever weighed in my life,” Mayer said last month at Fenway Fest, adding that he finished last season at 208. “I feel great, stronger and faster than ever, so I feel like my body is in a really good spot.”

Though Mayer said second and third base have a lot of differences, he’s expressed a willingness to play both. For now Breslow said the club is comfortable seeing who fits best where, and if it comes time to pick one spot for Mayer to focus on, that’s something they’ll decide later.

“We’ll work backwards from what is best for the team and what is best for each individual and you hope those things overlap, but Marcelo has also been pretty outspoken about his willingness to do whatever is needed, whatever is best for the team,” Breslow said. “If that’s playing one position, if that’s moving around, if that’s learning a new position, I think he’s looking for a way to contribute.”