The Boston Red Sox are placing All-Star outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela on the 10-day injured list due to a right quadriceps strain the team announced. The move will be retroactive to September 3rd, meaning that if all goes according to plan, he should be available when the team begins their series against the Texas Rangers.
Yesterday’s win over the Baltimore Orioles was the third straight game that Rafaela sat out after exiting Wednesday’s contest with leg discomfort. “He’s improved again, a little improved, which is good, but still not all the way there,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “We’ll talk to [trainer Brandon Henry] and see, ‘Like, when are we going to reintroduce baseball activities?’ We’ll have to talk through running and things like that. And, just keep going day to day and figure it out.”
Tracy told reporters that the talented defender was improving daily and didn’t expect his stint on the IL to be a lengthy one. In his place, the club had plugged Eli White into the lineup. However, in a corresponding move, the team has also recalled Nate Eaton from Triple-A Worcester to provide some additional depth to their roster.
Across 535 at bats this season the 25 year old is hitting .282 with 16 home runs, 70 RBIs, 17 stolen bases, and 67 runs scored. Originally signed as an international free agent back in 2017, the Curacao native has spent the entirety of his 471 game big league career with the Red Sox.
Rafaela’s absence will be felt both at the plate as well as in the field as the 2025 Gold Glove winner was putting together another stellar defensive season for Boston. The club will now need to navigate their schedule without two of their regular starters as 1st baseman Willson Contreras is also currently sidelined as he deals with a hamstring injury.
The Red Sox are set to kick off a 3 game series at Fenway Park against the Los Angeles Angels beginning on Monday at 1:35pm ET.
Photo: J. Miers. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 1.0 Generic license.