The Boston Red Sox begin a series on Tuesday night with the Texas Rangers with just 13 regular-season games remaining.
Ahead of the matchup, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy spoke to the media and gave several updates on some of the players currently injured and on the IL.
One of those players is star outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela, who has been sidelined with a right quadriceps strain since early September.
Red Sox Announce Rafaela Update
There wasn’t any major development in Rafaela’s overall status, but Tracy noted that he began doing increased running volume on Tuesday. He didn’t have anything further to report on a potential timeline, but the injury doesn’t seem overly serious at this point, and Rafaela likely won’t need a crazy ramp-up once he is able to return to the field.
“Rafa started doing increased running volume today, so nothing new to report there. He’ll continue to do that over the next two, three days and we’ll see where he’s at,” Tracy said pregame.
Chad Tracy provides some #RedSox injury updates ⬇️
– Crochet threw today, everything went well
– Guerrero eligible tomorrow
– Rafaela started to increase running volume today, nothing new to report
– Houck is throwing tonight
– Slaten has “some degenerative changes in the flexor… pic.twitter.com/M04YHBmZCP— NESN (@NESN) September 15, 2026
Rafaela’s 2026 Season
It’s been a tremendous season for Rafaela in his fourth year with the Red Sox.
The Red Sox named Rafaela an All-Star for the first time in his career, and the 25-year-old has hit .282 across 135 games and 535 at-bats. He has recorded 67 runs, 151 hits, 16 home runs, and 70 RBIs while slugging .443 with a .760 OPS.
Looking at the Red Sox
Boston enters Tuesday with an 82-68 overall record, which, as long as they don’t have a late-season collapse, should put them in line to be the second Wild Card team in the American League playoff picture.
There remains a chance they jump the New York Yankees, but they’re 5.0 games behind them for second place in the AL East and the top Wild Card spot. They’re also 8.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the division and the No. 1 overall seed in the AL.
Boston Red Sox Announced Ceddanne Rafaela Update Before Rangers Series