Red Sox's Marcelo Mayer: Increasing versatility

Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that the Red Sox plan to give Mayer (back) more time at second and third base, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Mayer has been used almost exclusively at shortstop while rising through the ranks of Boston's farm system, playing just two games at third base in three seasons. He's expected to begin the new season at Triple-A Worcester, and adding some defensive versatility figures to give him a better shot at making his big-league debut midway through the year.