Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela blasted two home runs and collected five RBI in a 7-3 win versus the Detroit Tigers on Friday night. Rafaela made friends with the Green Monster, hitting a three-run homer over it in the fourth inning, followed by a two-run homer over it in the sixth inning. It's the young rookie's first career multi-homer game. Rafaela is in the midst of a hot streak where he has three home runs and a .348 batting average in his last seven games. After batting .167 with two home runs in April, he's improved to a .239 average in May while smacking five home runs. We love to see progress from exciting rookie prospects such as Rafaela, but his numbers on the season do not warrant a roster spot quite yet until he's shown enough improvement to earn a promotion out of the No. 9 spot in the batting order.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela will take the day off on Thursday against the visiting Detroit Tigers in the series opener. With Rafaela retreating to the bench for this one, Jarren Duran will move over to center field while batting in his typical leadoff spot against Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty. Rob Refsnyder is in left field and batting third, while Wilyer Abreu is in right field and hitting in the two-hole for the BoSox. The 23-year-old Rafaela ended his modest four-game hitting streak on Wednesday in the loss to the Baltimore Orioles when he went hitless in four at-bats. Rafaela is a defensive stalwart already but is batting just .206 (39-for-189) with five homers, 28 RBI, seven stolen bases and 26 runs scored in 55 games in 2024. Both Refsnyder and Abreu have been hot with the lumber so far this season but don't offer much power upside.

Boston Red Sox rookie outfielder/infielder Ceddanne Rafaela is sitting out on Friday on the road in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Rafaela has played as the team's center fielder and shortstop so far in just his second year in the big leagues, showing just how athletic he is on the diamond. He's not as advanced at the plate, though, and is hitting just .201 (30-for-149) with four home runs, 23 RBI, four stolen bases and 18 runs scored. Rafaela has been a bit better in May with a .234 average (11-for-47) with two homers and six RBI in 14 games played. With Rafaela getting a day of rest in the series opener at Busch Stadium, David Hamilton is getting the start at shortstop and will hit in the nine-hole against Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson. Hamilton isn't a recommended DFS play at the position.

Boston Red Sox rookie shortstop/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's victory against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rafaela really struggled in April with a .167 batting average, but he has turned it on in May thus far with a .275 batting average to accommodate his two homers and six RBI. Overall, the 23-year-old is hitting .211, but he has four homers and 23 RBI with four stolen bases. Managers that remained patient with Rafaela are starting to be rewarded and he is worth rostered in mixed leagues as he continues to improve and has good eligibility at shortstop and outfield.

Boston Red Sox infielder Ceddanne Rafaela went 4-for-4 with a home run, seven RBI, and a stolen base in Saturday's 17-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Rafaela had a career performance on Saturday by driving in seven runs in Saturday's rout over Chicago. The 23-year-old had a sacrifice fly for his first RBI of the game. He smashed a three-run double in the bottom of the fifth inning and capped it off with a three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth frame. Rafaela is slashing .191/..225/.351 with two home runs, 17 RBI, 14 runs, and four stolen bases over 28 games in 2024. Rafaela will look to build on his performance in the series finale, and he has plenty of fantasy upside to be added to most leagues.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela is the team's everyday shortstop at this point with Trevor Story (shoulder) out for the rest of the year. Rafaela is making his sixth straight start at the 6 on Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians. The move to put the 23-year-old defensive whiz at shortstop full time has allowed outfielder Wilyer Abreu to become an everyday player for the BoSox as well. Rafaela's full-time move to the 6 will give him dual eligibility in fantasy at both shortstop and the outfield. Rafaela has a lot to improve on offensively, though, as he's hitting just .171 (14-for-82) with a home run, nine RBI, three stolen bases and 11 runs scored in 25 games. He's mostly attractive in deeper leagues for his speed.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela blasted a two-run home run for his first HR of the season in the Red Sox 8-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rafaela was starting at shortstop as Boston works to cover the absences of Trevor Story and Rafael Devers. Rafaela had a very subpar start to the season with just a .464 OPS coming into Friday, so hitting a bomb was a good sight to see for Rafaela and the Red Sox. The 23-year-old may not hold much current fantasy value but may be worth a stash in deeper leagues for fantasy managers who are willing to be patient. Rafaela will look to be in Boston's lineup tomorrow night vs Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller.

The Boston Red Sox and outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela agreed to an undisclosed contract extension on Monday, according to a source. Despite only having 38 major-league games under his belt after debuting last year, the Red Sox are locking up their center fielder of the present and future. He has seven hits in his first 30 at-bats this year with no home runs, five RBI, a stolen base, six runs scored and nine strikeouts in 35 plate appearances in his first 10 games. The 23-year-old former undrafted free agent from Curacao is more advanced defensively at this early stage of his career, but he's an exceptional athlete overall and also has the ability to play on the infield if the Red Sox need him there. Boston now has Rafaela under team control through at least the 2029 season.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Seattle Mariners. The speedy 23-year-old started in centerfield in the Red Sox previous three games. Rafaela has gone 4-for-12 at the plate in the early going with three runs scored and one RBI. He is nothing more than a depth outfielder in redraft leagues this season, but he maintains reasonable upside in dynasty formats. With Rafaela on the bench, Jarren Duran will slide over to centerfield and Enmanuel Valdez will handle duties at second base.

Boston Red Sox OF/IF Ceddane Rafaela will be part of the Opening Day roster. Rafaela is a center fielder who could play some second base with Vaughn Grissom out to start the season. Manager Alex Cora praised the 23-year-old for his athleticism and versatility; he also has a .275/.327/.569 slash line over 51 Spring Training at-bats. Rob Refsnyder is also injured to start the season, so Rafaela should be moved between center and second initially. Rafaela is a well regarded prospect but did struggle in a small sample 28 games last season. His 78 OPS+ left a lot to be desired but he has the potential for a 15 home run, 15 steal season. ATC projects a .255/.295/.407 slash line over 459 plate appearances in 2024. He has a 354 ADP but with this news, and the fact he will have shortstop eligibility in some leagues, that number could change drastically over the weekend.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela started at second base for the first time this spring in Thursday's Grapefruit League game. The Red Sox have been mixing Rafaela in at second base this spring, but this is his first start at the keystone. The 23-year-old could see more action there for the BoSox early in the year with regular second baseman Vaughn Grissom (groin) injured, but Rafaela will primarily stay in the outfield. He remains in competition in camp for the center field job to open the year in Boston. If Rafaela doesn't win the jog, Jarren Duran will be the team's regular center fielder. Rafaela's glove is ahead of his bat, and he's ranked as the No. 83 fantasy outfielder at RotoBaller this year. In his first 28 big-league games in 2023, Rafaela hit .241 (20-for-83) with two homers, five RBI and three steals.

Since the start of camp, the Boston Red Sox said they regarded Ceddanne Rafaela as a center fielder only. However, manager Alex Cora on Wednesday sounded ready to at least consider the possibility of using Rafaela at second base. Rafaela is an elite defender at both shortstop and center field, but he hasn't played much at the keystone. But his elite athleticism could give Boston an upgrade at second over Enmanuel Valdez with Vaughn Grissom (hamstring) hurt. If Boston uses Rafaela some at second and center, either Jaren Duran or Tyler O'Neill would shift to center when Rafaela is in the infield. Rob Refsnyder's fractured toe essentially guarantees that Rafaela will make the team's Opening Day roster, and he should be playing frequently between second and center field.

Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela hit his second home run of the spring on Sunday in a 7-6 Grapefruit League win over the Tampa Bay Rays. In the game, the second of the Dominican Republic Series, Rafaela was 1-for-5 out of the leadoff spot with the home run being his only hit of the game. The 23-year-old also struck out twice, bringing his spring total to nine in 30 at-bats (26.5%). Through 12 spring games, the youngster is 7-for-30 (.233) with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI, and three runs scored. He's also stolen two bases and been caught stealing once. Rafaela is trying to earn a roster spot, so he might have to pick it up on offense, although he is known more for his defense, which could still earn him a spot. For fantasy purposes, he's mostly off the radar until he solidifies his roster spot and proves he can hit major league pitching. In his limited action last year, he hit .241 with two home runs and a 31.5% K% to go along with his 4.5% BB% over 89 PA. The sub-6% walk rate has followed him over each stop in the minors over the last few years.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that rookie outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela will be the center fielder in 2024 if he makes the team out of spring training. As of right now, it's to be determined if he opens the year at Triple-A Worcester or the major leagues. "The defensive game is elite. It's a game-changer," Cora said. Jarren Duran is currently the favorite to open the year as Boston's starting center fielder, with Tyler O'Neill in left and Wilyer Abreu in right. The 23-year-old Rafaela went 20-for-83 (.241) with two homers and five RBI in his first 28 major-league games in 2023, and his glove and his speed will probably always be his money-makers. He stole 39 games in 136 games at two minor-league levels last year, but he also managed to clear the fences 22 times as well.

Boston Red Sox rookie outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela went 2-for-5 with his first career major-league home run (a solo shot), a double and a strikeout in the team's 4-1 loss to the division-rival New York Yankees in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Tuesday. Rafaela played shortstop in Game 1 and went hitless in three at-bats with a walk. The 22-year-old was more productive at the plate in the leadoff spot for Boston in Game 2, and he's now gone an impressive 10-for-29 (.345) with a homer, three doubles, two RBI, a stolen base and six runs scored in his first 13 games with Boston. Rafaela should play regularly down the stretch to close out the 2023 campaign and he could open the 2024 season on Boston's big-league roster as a super-utility player.

Boston Red Sox prospect Ceddanne Rafaela is making the start at shortstop and is batting leadoff on Tuesday against right-hander Zach Eflin and the Tampa Bay Rays. Rafaela has played in six major-league games since being called up last week, but this will be just his second start for the BoSox. In eight plate appearances so far, he has three hits (one double), an RBI, four strikeouts and a run scored. Both of the 22-year-old's starts have come at shortstop, but he's also appeared in five games in center field. Rafaela's athleticism will make him an option to play all over, but he'll likely continue to play sparingly in Boston to close out the 2023 regular season. Per MLB Pipeline, Rafaela is considered the team's No. 3 prospect.

Boston Red Sox infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela is hitting out of the leadoff spot in what marks his first MLB start on Wednesday versus the Houston Astros and left-hander Framber Valdez. Rafaela didn't start on Monday or Tuesday following his big-league promotion but did log a single in his lone plate appearance on Monday. The 22-year-old top prospect combined to slug 20 home runs alongside 36 stolen bases in 108 games between Double-A and Triple-A this season, most recently hitting .312 with 14 HR, six SB, and a .988 OPS across 48 games with Triple-A Worcester. He will play shortstop Wednesday afternoon in Boston.

The Boston Red Sox are recalling outfield prospect Ceddanne Rafaela from Triple-A Worcester on Monday. Rafaela, the team's No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, won't be in the Red Sox's starting lineup on Monday against the Houston Astros, however. The 22-year-old earned his first major-league call-up by hitting .302 (134-for-444) with 20 home runs, 31 doubles, three triples, 79 RBI, 36 stolen bases and 80 runs scored in 108 games with Double-A Portland and Worcester this year. At least until Jarren Duran (toe) returns from the injured list, Rafaela could see decent playing time in Boston's outfield as we get ready to enter the final month of the regular season. On top of his power/speed combination on offense, Rafaela is a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder.

Boston Red Sox prospect Ceddanne Rafaela launched another home run on Saturday, marking the fifth consecutive game he's gone deep. Overall, the 22-year-old carries a blistering .317/.370/.683 slash line with 11 home runs through 30 games since being promoted to Triple-A Worcester. Rafaela is the second-ranked prospect in the Red Sox farm system and the No. 75 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. His plate discipline could still use some work, as evidenced by his underwhelming 5.2% walk rate, but there's not much left for Rafaela to accomplish in the minor leagues. A call-up appears imminent, though the Red Sox may not need him until 2024. Regardless, Rafaela is a coveted dynasty asset with impressive potential.

Boston Red Sox top outfield prospect Ceddanne Rafaela went 1-for-5 with a double and two RBI in Saturday's game in Triple-A. Rafaela was promoted to Triple-A in late June and has been hitting well ever since. The 22-year-old prospect had six home runs and 18 doubles in 60 games in Double-A, but he has hit six home runs and six doubles in just 19 games in Triple-A. Despite this eye-popping production, Rafaela must still work on his plate discipline. The young outfielder has a 23.9% strikeout rate and a 5.3% walk rate in Triple-A. If Rafaela continues to strike out at this rate, his promotion to the majors could be delayed. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues probably won't need to pick him up this year, but Rafaela remains a valuable player in dynasty.