Ceddanne

Rafaela

Cora’s remark came in response to a question at Fenway Fest about whether the club would consider moving Rafaela to the keystone to alleviate its outfield logjam. The 25-year-old’s offensive production cratered in the second half of last season after a stellar opening act that featured 14 homers and 13 steals in 88 games. The constant shuffling between second base and center field may have contributed to the slide considering the Red Sox are going out of their way to dismiss the possibility of him playing second base, prioritizing Rafaela’s elite defense in center field after he earned the AL Gold Glove at the spot. From a fantasy standpoint, the added stability represents a positive development for Rafaela as he’ll have fewer variables to worry about heading into next season. However, losing second-base eligibility down the road would be a tough break for fantasy managers.

Those two are joined by Steven Kwan in the outfield. Other AL winners include pitcher Max Fried, catcher Dillon Dingler, first baseman Ty France, second baseman Marcus Semien, third baseman Maikel Garcia, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and utilityman Mauricio Dubón. Semien getting the nod over Andrés Giménez seems like the biggest upset, though Giménez, who won the previous three years, did miss a bunch of time. Dingler over Alejandro Kirk also rates as a modest surprise.

With the victory, Boston clinches a playoff berth for the first time since 2021. Facing an early 3-0 deficit, the Red Sox chipped away with single runs in the fourth, seventh and eighth innings to draw even. Romy Gonzalez smacked a one-out single off of Tigers reliever Tommy Kahnle in the ninth inning and Rafaela followed by swatting an RBI triple off the wall in left-center, sending the Fenway faithful into an absolute frenzy. The 25-year-old outfielder finished the night 2-for-4 and is now hitting .247/.292/.412 with 16 homers, 63 RBI and 19 stolen bases on the season.

The Red Sox blew a 5-1 lead in the sixth tonight, falling behind 7-5, but they scored all of the remaining runs from there, getting the last four with two outs in the eighth. Rafaela, who started in center, made a brief appearance at second base and later returned to center tonight, drove in four runs for the second time this season. The other occasion was a five-RBI game against the Guardians back in April.

Rafaela’s first home run since last month’s All-Star break came at a pivotal moment for Boston as he took Orioles lefty closer Keegan Akin deep to left field for a game-changing blast in the top of the ninth. The 24-year-old breakout sensation has endured a tough second half at the dish, but his immense power/speed combo talent remains undeniable. He’s consistently shown up in big moments like this, which is why he’ll be an X-factor to watch in the postseason, if the Red Sox make it there.

The Password finds himself on the bench to open Saturday afternoon’s contest at Yankee Stadium after going 0-for-3 with a walk and three strikeouts on Friday in his big-league debut. Ceddanne Rafaela is in center field with David Hamilton handling the keystone and Masataka Yoshida at DH. The 22-year-old top prospect figures to split time between several spots defensively, but he’ll cede occasional starts to Rafaela in center field over the final five weeks.

Abreu is headed to the injured list with a right calf issue, but the move isn’t official yet since top prospect Jhostynxon Garcia is still en route to New York. It’ll be Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Roman Anthony in the outfield on Thursday night.

It’s a mental break for Rafaela amid a prolonged second-half slump where he’s batting .194 (20-for-103) with zero homers and five steals in 28 games. He recorded 14 homers and 13 thefts in 92 first-half contests. It’s fair to wonder if the move to second base on a more frequent basis has been a contributing factor in his recent struggles.

After a slow first month of the season, Rafaela has hit .278/.307/.498 in 78 games since May 1st with 12 home runs, 43 runs scored, and seven steals. He has emerged as one of the better center fielders in baseball, and the extension the Red Sox signed him to last year is looking like a tremendous piece of business. He’s fantasy-relevant in all formats.

Duran takes a seat against a tough left-hander with Red Sox manager Alex Cora rolling with Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu in the outfield. It’ll be Rob Refsnyder at DH and occupying the leadoff spot with Anthony batting third for the second straight contest.