BOSTON — Saturday marks the 11th Red Sox game since they called up top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela on Aug. 28. For the ninth time in those 11 games, Rafaela is not in the starting lineup. For the most part, the versatile speedster’s first taste of major league action has come as a bench player and defensive replacement.
Since being promoted, Rafaela has started just two games (both at shortstop) and has entered seven others as a late replacement. He has gotten just 16 plate appearances but has produced, hitting .438 (7-for-16) with two doubles and an RBI. Despite the hype surrounding Rafaela and his potential to immediately contribute, manager Alex Cora has been patient, taking a much different approach than he did a year ago when first baseman Triston Casas was called up and played every day. On Saturday, Cora explained that Rafaela’s lack of playing time is based on Boston’s position in the standings.
The Red Sox entered Saturday six games behind the Blue Jays for the final American League wild card spot and with a 2.7% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. But because the team will face a couple of their chief wild card competitors on next week’s road trip, Cora isn’t waving the white flag quite yet. That means winning — and not developing young players like Rafaela — is the top priority, at least for now.
“Last year we were out, out,” Cora said, explaining the difference between the Casas and Rafaela situations. “This year, we still are kind of like in the hunt. It doesn’t look great but we’ve still got games against Toronto. We’ve still got Texas. We get on a hot streak here, those games might mean something. Right now, this is where we’re at.”
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Before being called up, Rafaela was an everyday player For Double-A Portland, then Triple-A Worcester, where he was promoted in late June. Between the two levels, the 22-year-old played 84 games in center field, 15 at shortstop and eight as designated hitter. The Red Sox are generally set at those positions with Trevor Story at short and Adam Duvall and Wilyer Abreu mixing and matching in center field. Rafaela’s best chance to play may come at second base, a spot where he didn’t spend a single inning during the minor league season. He played one game there last season for High-A Greenville and a handful more in 2021 with Single-A Salem. Still, the Sox are comfortable with him at second, using him as a defensive replacement there in each of the last two games. The expectation is that Rafaela will get some starts at second base as a right-handed alternative to Enmanuel Valdez in the coming days.
“I think everybody’s comfortable with it… He should be fine,” Cora said. “It’s just a matter of for me to have the comfort level to play him out there, especially with the double plays. Obviously, with the different rules now, it’s not as dangerous as in the past, but still, we have to be smart about it. I don’t want him to get hit on a double play and something bad happens. We’ve got to be smart but at one point, he’ll start at second.”
If the Red Sox want Rafaela to play every day again, they might choose to send him back to the WooSox when Pablo Reyes returns from the injured list in the coming days. Even if his first stint in the majors is a short one, Rafaela still made an impression on Cora and others.
“A lot better than what we saw in spring training,” Cora said. “He’s made some adjustments. Not chasing that much, especially the breaking balls off the plate. So far, it has been good.
“Smart kid. He wants to work. Those three kids (Rafaela, Abreu and Valdez) get here early. He has to work in the outfield, at short and second and has been good.”
