Amidst roster changes, Ceddanne Rafaela makes his case for Red Sox’ Opening Day roster
The center fielder continues his impressive spring training, showing offensive development.
It’s hard to imagine Ceddanne Rafaela anywhere other than Seattle come Opening Day.
The No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system certainly checks a lot of boxes for the Red Sox, particularly on defense, where they require vast improvements. Despite putting together a standout highlight tape in Triple-A though, manager Alex Cora remains undecided about what Boston’s outfield will look like on March 28.
“There’s going to be some upset guys at the end (of spring training),” Cora said per The Athletic’s Chad Jennings. “But they have to understand this is how it goes. If you have to go to (Triple-A) Worcester at the start of the year, you go and put pressure on us to make the next decision. I’m comfortable with it. It’s not the first time we have to make a tough decision.”
The young center fielder posted a .988 OPS in the minors last season but struggled in Boston after being pulled up for 28 games. Putting up just a .666 OPS with 28 strikeouts and four walks, Rafaela was relegated back to Worcester to focus on his offensive development and plate discipline.
Now, just over two weeks from Opening Day, his work seems to be paying off.
Over the weekend the Red Sox traveled to the Dominican Republic, playing back-to-back exhibition games against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rafaela had two homers, building a strong case for a position on the big league roster. Already, he has the most at-bats of any Red Sox player thus far during spring training and is posting a .755 OPS.
The up-and-comer shines in the outfield, however. Rafaela plays “some of the best centerfield defense anywhere in professional baseball,” Keith Law told Jennings. Scouts lauded Rafaela’s speed, strength, and versatility – all things Boston needs in their outfield after finishing last in the league in 2023 for Outs Above Average (-51).
As the Red Sox weigh Rafaela’s utility, however, his standout performance this spring isn’t going unnoticed.
“That’s one of the reasons he’s here,” Cora said. “We believe he can impact the game defensively.”
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