Roman Anthony was a late scratch, but with Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell in the lineup, the spring opener was a preview of the future.

The pair played up the middle in the Red Sox' 5-2 win in their annual exhibition against Northeastern, with Mayer at shortstop and Campbell at second base.

Despite the 1 for 4 official stat line, Mayer did plenty of heavy lifting at the plate. He drove home an RBI drew a walk and hit a rope to the gap in left-center that likely would have dropped in for a base hit nine out of 10 times. Unfortunately for Mayer, Rays center fielder Chandler Simpson made a beautiful diving catch to rob Mayer.

Of Boston’s “Big 3” prospects, Marcelo Mayer may be the one with the most to prove this year, and that’s fine by him. He hates to lose. Always has.

MassLive's Sean McAdam recaps Friday's spring training game between the Red Sox and Northeastern which included the debuts of Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell.