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Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Nursing sore lower back
Rotowire
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said that Rafaela was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians due to a sore lower back, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
Tracy didn't seem to be overly concerned about the injury, with the skipper noting that the Red Sox just wanted to be cautious with the outfielder. With the benefit of a team off day Monday, Rafaela is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday against the Orioles after getting two days off to rest his back.
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Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Late scratch from lineup
Rotowire
The Red Sox scratched Rafaela from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Guardians due to an unspecified reason, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
Rafaela had been slated to start in center field and bat second, but he'll wind up hitting the bench for the first time since May 18. The Red Sox should provide more details behind Rafaela's late scratch later Sunday.
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Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Adds to strong month of May
Rotowire
Rafaela went 3-for-5 with two RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Wednesday's 8-0 win over Atlanta.
The 25-year-old center fielder posted his fourth three-hit effort of the campaign Wednesday as well as his 11th multi-hit showing. Rafaela has hit safely in 17 of his 23 outings in the month of May, now slashing a healthy .285/.350/.441 with 16 extra-base hits, 23 RBI, 23 runs scored and four stolen bases across 197 plate appearances overall in 2026.
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Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Returning to lineup Tuesday
Rotowire
Rafaela (hamstring) will start in center field and bat second in Tuesday's game versus the Royals.
Rafaela didn't start Monday's series opener because of some mild hamstring tightness, but he entered that game as a defensive replacement and will return to the lineup Tuesday. The Gold Glove center fielder has a .918 OPS in May.
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Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Out Monday with tight hammy
Rotowire
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said that Rafaela is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals due to "a little bit of tightness in his hamstring," Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Rafaela is experiencing some discomfort in his leg after a busy weekend in Atlanta both on the bases and in the outfield, but the Red Sox aren't concerned about their everyday center fielder requiring a stint on the injured list. Tracy said that Rafaela will receive treatment Monday, and the expectation is that the 25-year-old will be back in the lineup Tuesday. Jarren Duran will slide over from his usual spot in left field to cover center field in the series opener in Kansas City.
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Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Aggressive on basepaths
Rotowire
Rafaela went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a stolen base and was caught stealing in Friday's 3-2 extra-inning loss to Atlanta.
Rafaela was one of three Red Sox players to be thrown out on the basepaths when he was caught attempting to steal third base after a leadoff double in the fifth inning. It appears being aggressive was a plan for interim manager Chad Tracy, who also watched Jarren Duran get picked off and Mickey Gasper gunned down by several steps while attempting to swipe second base. Rafaela, who stole 20 bases in 2025, now has three steals and has been caught four times. For a player that sits in the 90th percentile in sprint speed, Rafaela hasn't helped the Red Sox much when attempting to steal during his four MLB seasons; he has successfully stolen a base on 69.2 percent of his career attempts (45 of 65).
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Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Knocks game-winning hit
Rotowire
Rafaela entered as a pinch hitter and belted a two-run home run in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Phillies.
Rafaela was held out of the starting lineup because interim manager Chad Tracy wanted Masataka Yoshida's left-handed bat against Philadelphia starter and right-hander Andrew Painter. Ironically, Rafaela was announced to pinch hit for Yoshida against a lefty in the sixth inning, but Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly countered with righty Orion Kerkering. Rafaela crushed a fastball for the first pinch-hit home run of his career and the game-winning hit. It was Rafaela's third homer to go along with nine RBI in his last seven contests.
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Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Receiving night off
Rotowire
Rafaela is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies, Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.
Rafaela appears to be receiving a routine breather after he had started in each of the team's last 11 games while going 12-for-43 (.279 average) with two home runs, two stolen bases, seven RBI and four runs over that stretch. Jarren Duran will slide over from left field to replace Rafaela in center.
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Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Goes deep in win
Rotowire
Rafaela went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-0 win over the Rays.
Rafaela gave the Red Sox a 2-0 lead with a solo shot off Jesse Scholtens in the fourth inning. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a strong start to the month, going 10-for-31 with two home runs, six RBI and two stolen bases through eight games since the calendar flipped to May. On the year, he's slashing .278/.345/.413 with three homers, 16 RBI, 17 runs scored and two steals across 139 plate appearances.
Rafaela went 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 10-3 win over the Tigers.
Rafaela launched his second home run of the season, a three-run shot in first inning to put Boston up early. The multi-hit effort was his fourth in the last nine games, a span in which Rafaela is slashing .342/.375/.553 with four extra-base hits, six RBI, one steal and five runs scored.
Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Out of Boston's lineup
Rotowire
Rafaela is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game in Toronto.
It looks to be a routine day off for Rafaela, who had started each of the previous seven contests. Jarren Duran will play center field and bat leadoff in Rafaela's stead.
Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Exiting starting nine Monday
Rotowire
Rafaela is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.
The Red Sox will give Rafaela a breather for their annual Patriots' Day game, paving the way for Jarren Duran to re-enter the lineup in center field after sitting for the past two contests. Rafaela has posted a career-best .739 through his first 20 games of 2026, though he's yet to provide his usual impact on the basepaths (zero steals in two attempts).
Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Heading to bench Tuesday
Rotowire
Rafaela is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Twins, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Rafaela started the previous seven games and collected a hit in each contest, going 8-for-22 with a double, two RBI and four runs during that span. He'll receive a day off Tuesday while Jarren Duran shifts to center field and Roman Anthony to left, opening up the DH spot for Masataka Yoshida.
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Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Taking seat Sunday
Rotowire
Rafaela is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, Chris Henrique of BostonSportsJournal.com reports.
Rafaela started the previous five games and posted a .779 OPS with a homer, an additional RBI and an additional run scored, but he'll receive the day off Sunday. Jarren Duran will shift to center field and Roman Anthony to designated hitter, allowing Masataka Yoshida to pick up a start in left.
