The San Francisco Giants weren't just sellers at the trade deadline.

One of the most surprising moves of the season came when they acquired Marcelo Mayer from the Boston Red Sox, someone who was set to be their big prospect of the future.

Instead, Roman Anthony got all the attention and a lack of results from Mayer left him in no man's land.

All of a sudden, the Giants picked up the phone and decided to make a move for the 23-year-old.

Obviously, the team knew he was on the 10-day Injured List when they acquired him. 

The 2026 season was already a lost cause for the Giants, so this was a move to help them get better in 2027 and beyond.

Seeing as Mayer isn't arbitration eligible until 2029, the Giants would love to see him turn his career around once he returns.

The big question is, when will that be? Recently, Giants manager Tony Vitello discussed a rehab assignment and if Mayer will join the team at all this season.

When speaking to the media, Vitello said "there's a chance Mayer could appear for the Giants before the end of the year," according to NBC Sports Bay Area's Alex Pavlovic.

Having just finished the first week of September, the clock is certainly working against Mayer and Co.

Rushing him back benefits no one and could result in a long-term injury that pushes the Giants back even further, so they need to be really careful with how they handle this situation.

Mayer is getting closer to a rehab assignment, according to Vitello, but the team hasn't set a date on anything just yet.

Remember, Mayer hasn't played in the majors since June 25. He's already missed two-plus months of the season, so while it would be beneficial to get him back into the big leagues this season, it's not worth it if Mayer isn't at 100%.

The Giants know they'll have him around next season, and they're looking to get some production out of the California native who has a career .223 batting average.

Mayer had 332 at-bats with the Red Sox, where he slashed .223/.278/.346 with a .625 OPS. He was a 0.2 WAR player as a rookie, but that number fell to -0.1 this season. His batting average was slightly down this year, but his on-base percentage saw a rise, only at the expense of his slugging and OPS, which took huge hits.