After the Boston Red Sox went on their summer run to climb safely into an American League wild-card spot, that proved to be huge. Nobody can predict injuries, but it was a rough month of September in terms of injuries.
Not only did manager Chad Tracy lose Gold Glove outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela to an injury early in the month, but he also lost All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras to an injury with 10 days left in the regular season. Contreras was hit on the hand by a pitch against the Texas Rangers. He played in just one game after that.
He’ll be back in the Red Sox lineup for Game 1 of the AL wild-card series on Tuesday night against the New York Yankees. Boston is also getting Rafaela back in the Bronx, but the lineup will look different against Cam Schlittler.
Ceddanne Rafaela Batting Fifth in Game 1 vs. New York Yankees
Boston announced their lineup hours before Game 1 and Rafaela will be hitting fifth. Here is the lineup for the Red Sox,
Wilyer Abreu RF
Caddanne Rafaela CF
Nick Sogard 2B
Jarren Duran LF
Trevor Story SS
Caleb Durbin 3B
Rafaela was placed on the injured list with a right quadriceps strain, which caused him to miss 17 games. He returned against the Cleveland Guardians on Sept. 23 before exiting the game with right hamstring tightness while legging out a single. The next day, testing came back clean, and he was diagnosed with a hamstring cramp. He went 2-for-6 against the Guardians and Chicago Cubs in three games before the playoffs with a pair of singles.
Red Sox Big Wild Card Lead Led To Key Rest for Ceddanne Rafaela
If Rafaela can return and produce for Tracy, the big lead in the playoff race in the American League was huge. It allowed Boston to give not only Rafaela time to rest, but also Contreras as well.
Boston will be without utility infielder Mickey Gasper, who suffered an injury last Friday in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Cubs at Fenway Park. He was placed on the 10-day injured list, which takes an underrated bat out of Tracy’s lineup and off his bench.
The Red Sox will send young left-hander Payton Tolle to the mound against the New York Yankees, who will send this lineup out for manager Aaron Boone,
Ben Rice DH
Heliot Ramos RF
George Lombard Jr. SS
Amed Rosario 3B
Anthony Vole 2B
New York won’t have Aaron Judge for the series, as he was not part of Boone’s roster. This figures to be a low-scoring series given the projected pitching matchups for the three games, if it goes that far. Boston getting Rafaela and Contreras back while the Yankees not having Judge feels like an advantage for the Red Sox. Winning Game 1 is big in a best-of-three series, especially for the Yankees, with Boston having Sonny Gray scheduled to go in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
Boston Red Sox Make Ceddanne Rafaela Decision Before Game 1 Against New York Yankees