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With Trevor Story out for the season and the Red Sox’ infield defense taking on water during this current homestand, rookie Ceddanne Rafaela’s time in center field is ending … for now.
Boston’s lineup card for its annual Patriots Day game on Monday morning featured Rafaela slotting in at shortstop, with Jarren Duran taking over in center field.
However, Alex Cora stressed ahead of first pitch that the primary reason for Rafaela’s reshuffle has more to do with carving out more at-bats for outfielder Wilyer Abreu — rather than
shoring up Boston’s leaky defense up the middle.
“(Rafaela) will play short, We’ll use him at short,” Cora said. “(But) this is not about the shortstop thing. This is about getting Abreu at-bats. I’m telling you, Willie has to play. So
this is the way we’re going to find at-bats for him. Against righties, he will play every day. So we’ll find a way. We’ll move people around, but he will play against righties.”
Rafaela’s versatility is welcomed, with the 23-year-old playing both outfield and infield throughout his minor-league career. But the case can be made that Rafaela’s value is maximized out
in center field — where his speed, athleticism, and tracking ability allow him to routinely rob extra-base hits.
Rafaela’s sterling defensive play in center helped Boston secure two wins out in Oakland earlier this season, but Boston’s infield miscues since Story landed on the shelf have been tough to
ignore.
Be it David Hamilton (two errors), Pablo Reyes (two errors), or Enmanuel Valdez (one error), the Red Sox have yet to find a suitable replacement for Story’s glove so far.
Even though Rafaela’s value might be maximized in center, the rookie’s ability to play multiple positions is needed, given Boston’s injury and defensive woes.
“We’re gonna move him around. We will. He’s an everyday player,” Cora said of Rafaela. “And obviously with the injury to Trevor, we have to make adjustments. We also need Abreu to be in the
lineup against righties. Having the luxury of having an athlete like that, it really helps.”
For the first half of Boston’s eventual 6-0 loss to the Guardians, it looked as though Boston’s stout outfield defense was going to remain intact — even with Rafaela bumped to the infield.
Abreu potentially took a home run off the board in the first inning with a highlight-reel snag, while Duran made a pair of impressive catches in both the fourth and sixth innings to rob
Andrés Giménez of two hits.
But Boston’s defense fell apart as the game progressed, with Abreu tagged for an error in the eighth inning that allowed an extra run to cross home plate. Postgame, Cora focused more on
Hamilton’s inability to catch Abreu’s throw from right, rather than the throw itself.
Still, it marked another frustrating result for a Red Sox team that currently doesn’t have the offensive fortitude available to routinely give away unearned runs.
“It sucks but just have to keep working with them,” Cora said. “We have to make plays. It’s frustrating for everybody. But at the same time, you cannot get down. They’re trying to make
plays.
“We tip a ball, it goes 25 feet, 30 feet. That guy (Ramírez), one of the best players in the game made a hustle play. He plays the game the right way. We don’t make a play. So we’ve just
gotta get better. We’ve got to continue.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.