Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela is on the bench to start Saturday's contest against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park. Second baseman Kristian Campbell is starting in center field and batting seventh, and David Hamilton will start at second base and bat eighth against Cardinals right-hander Andre Pallante. Rafaela has been hitting at the bottom of Boston's batting order early on in 2025 and has started out slow offensively, going 3-for-26 with three RBI, two runs scored, two walks and four strikeouts in his first eight games played. The 24-year-old was needed on the infield a lot in his rookie year in 2024 due to an injury to Trevor Story, but hopefully he can get settled in offensively eventually now that he'll be staying in center field on a full-time basis this year.

Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong and outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela are not in the starting nine on Saturday when they continue a four-game set against the Texas Rangers. Wong got the starting nod in each of the first two games and went 1-for-7 at the plate with a 1:1 BB:K. Rafaela started in each of the first two games as well and covered center field, and went 0-for-8 at the plate. As a result, Carlos Narvaez will get the start behind the dish and Jarren Duran will shift to center field, which opens left field for Kristian Campbell, and allows David Hamilton to enter the lineup and cover the keystone. Fantasy managers should expect both Wong and Rafaela to return to the starting nine for the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon. Narvaez and Hamilton are not worth considering in DFS facing Texas right-hander ... [More]

Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (hamstring) is in Saturday's lineup. He will cover center field and bat in the cleanup. Rafaela has dealt with hamstring tightness throughout the week but has been cleared for action. Seeing him return to the lineup suggests he will not face any restrictions by Opening Day. Last season, the 24-year-old appeared in a career-high 152 contests and held a .246/.274/.390 slash line. He tallied 23 doubles, five triples and 15 home runs. He swiped 19 bags but was caught stealing 10 times. However, he generated a weak .229 xBA with a low 36.3 percent hard-hit rate. He held a high 26.4 percent strikeout rate with a low 2.6 percent walk rate. When healthy, fantasy managers should expect Rafaela to see most of his time in center field with occasional starts at second base and shortstop.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (hamstring) is doing better and will do some running in camp on Thursday. If that goes well, Rafaela will be cleared to return to Grapefruit League action this weekend. Rafaela has been held out of spring training games this week after experiencing hamstring tightness in a game last Sunday. However, he appears to be making good progress and should be just fine for Opening Day in late March, barring a setback once he returns to games. Out of necessity, the 24-year-old was forced to play a lot of middle infield for the BoSox in his rookie season in 2024, but Boston plans on using him as their primary center fielder this year. While Rafaela's glove is way ahead of his bat, hopefully sticking in center will allow him to focus on his offensive game much more in his sophomore season. He's ranked as RotoBaller's No. 53 fantasy outfielder.

The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey writes that Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela will continue using an altered batting stance in 2025 in which he lowers his hands so that he's connected with his front leg with a small leg kick to help his timing at the plate. A new strength routine in the offseason also helped Rafaela add muscle to his 5-foot-9 frame. Most importantly, the Red Sox plan to keep the 24-year-old in center field as much as possible in 2025 after he made 72 starts in center, 71 starts at shortstop and four starts at second base in 2024. He had stretches of good offensive production in his rookie season, but Rafaela had a 46.6% chase rate, which was among the worst 1% in MLB. His 2.6% walk rate was also among the lowest 1% in the league. Rafaela is going to need to improve his plate discipline and make better contact to take the next step as a hitter.

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said that the plan is to keep infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela in center field in 2025 "as much as possible." Rafaela really stepped up for the Red Sox in 2024 and provided plenty of defensive versatility, mainly in center field and shortstop. The 24-year-old started 72 games in center field, 71 at shortstop and four at second base in his first full season in the big leagues. His elite athleticism allows him to play pretty much anywhere on the diamond, but the BoSox would like to keep him focused on center field this year to hopefully make him more productive offensively. There was a need for Rafaela at the 6 in 2024 when Trevor Story was injured earlier in the year. Rafaela must improve his hard-hit metrics and plate discipline to take the next step as a hitter, but his elite athleticism should give hope to fantasy managers.

Boston Red Sox shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela went 2-for-4 in Friday's 11-6 win over the Rangers, including his 13th home run of the season. The hits extended his current hit streak to eight games, and he's hit safely in 12 of his last 13. During the eight-game hit streak the 23-year-old is 11-for-31 (.355) with two home runs, four RBI, six runs scored, and two stolen bases. He's been a solid multi-category contributor this season, posting a .257-13-57-54-15 line over 106 games, putting him in the top 12 at the position.

Boston Red Sox shortstop Ceddanne Rafaela turned in an excellent game in a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. Rafaela went 3-for-4 with a double, a steal, and an RBI to help spark Boston to the win over their division rivals. The 24-year-old infielder is putting together a productive season for the Red Sox, hitting .251 with eight homers, 36 runs, 41 RBI, and 10 steals across 255 at-bats. He has been red-hot at the plate of late, batting .615 with six runs and four RBI over his past seven games. Fantasy gamers should have Rafaela locked into their starting lineups while he's on a hot streak.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela contributed in a big way to the team's 14-2 pounding of the Chicago White Sox, knocking in four runs with four hits. He finished the day 4-for-6 with a run and four RBI. It is shockingly Raffaela's third game this season with four or more RBI, with an incredible 16 of his 37 RBI coming in those three games. The 23-year-old has showcased his talent throughout the season but hasn't been able to find the consistency needed to be a reliable fantasy option yet. The glimpses of hope we've seen from him make him an intriguing option though, and holding onto him in case he puts it all together isn't a bad idea in deeper leagues.

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.