Ceddanne Rafaela’s offensive upswing continues as Red Sox beat Nationals
Rafaela has seven home runs since the start of June.
Ceddanne Rafaela has been hitting his stride offensively in recent weeks.
Typically known better for his defensive prowess and positional versatility than his plate approach, the third-year center fielder has been gaining offensive momentum after a very slow start to 2025.
Rafaela is a bottom-of-the-lineup hitter, but on Saturday, he recorded his ninth multi-hit game since June 1. He has seven home runs in that span, after only hitting three in his first 60 games of the year.
His latest long ball came Saturday, a 2-run shot deep over the left field wall to make it 8-0 Boston in the third inning. Rafaela finished the day 2 for 4 with three RBIs and a run scored.
Rafaela didn’t finish Saturday’s game after taking a tumble while rounding second, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed postgame that he is OK.
As Boston nears the All-Star break, Rafaela is up to league average or better in many offensive metrics. His batting average of .248 is just below league average, but his hard-hit percentile is in the 73rd percentile in the MLB, according to MassLive’s Christopher Smith. His wRC+ (a statistic used to assess value to runs created by a specific player) of 101 is also above league average (100).
Rafaela’s 10 home runs are also in the top 25 percent of all MLB batters. And considering that he’s still a defense-first lineup fixture with gold glove potential at center field, the current offensive upswing Rafaela is experiencing is very valuable for the Red Sox, who are still searching for more offensive consistency as a unit.
Saturday marked the Red Sox’ second game in a row dismantling the Nationals with high-powered offense. It has a chance to sweep the weekend series against Washington on Sunday with Garrett Crochet on the mound.
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