The Boston Red Sox got a major scare in Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians. All-Star centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela exited after grabbing at his hamstring.
Rafaela initially grabbed his hamstring while running the bases in the second inning. He initially went out to centerfield for the third inning, but Red Sox manager Chad Tracy and a trainer went out to speak to him before removing him from the game.
The game was an ESPN broadcast. So, Buster Olney took the time to ask Tracy what the issue with Rafaela was.
“Just saw him continuing to flex it,” Tracy said. “That’s all. He seemed to have felt some cramping in the back there. When he went back out there, he kept flexing it, so we said, let’s go ahead and make the change.”
That was a best-case scenario for Rafaela and the Red Sox. However, shortly after that, Boston shared a more concerning update. The team reported that he left the game with right hamstring tightness.
Boston Red Sox CF Ceddanne Rafaela is Coming Off the IL
The major concern for the Red Sox is that Wednesday night’s game was the first off the IL for Ceddanne Rafaela. He had missed the previous 17 games dealing with a right quad strain.
The hamstring and the quad are different, but close enough that there has to be some amount of concern that this was a reaggravation of what had previously given Rafaela issues. It also comes after Rafaela didn’t make a single rehab start in the minors in his effort to get back on the field. The previous hope was to use the final few days of the regular season to gear up for playoff baseball.
The Red Sox have struggled to find any replacement for Rafaela, too. He’s elite defensively, with few, if any, outfielders playing as well as he does in centerfield.
Then, on the offensive side of the ball, Rafaela has been having a career season. He’s hitting .282 on the season with a .317 OBP and a .760 OPS. He has 16 home runs to 70 RBIs. On the basepaths, he has 17 stolen bases.
Injuries are an Issue for the Red Sox
Heading into the postseason, injuries are becoming a major issue for the Red Sox. That is both to the team’s pitching staff and the lineup.
The major injury to the pitching staff remains Garrett Crochet. He still won’t be pitching in the regular season, though. Other starters, including Tanner Houck and Johan Oviedo, are working on getting back to full health but still haven’t made it back, either. In the bullpen, Justin Slaten and Zack Kelly remain out.
Rafaela’s primary replacement in the Red Sox lineup, Eli White, is also out. He has ligament damage in his foot. Meanwhile, Curtis Mead, Willson Contreras, and Anthony Seigler are all out of the lineup for the time being. Other players in the lineup, like Adley Rutschman and Caleb Durbin, have dealt with injuries at different points during the season.
Heading into the postseason, the offense is struggling. Going into play on Wednesday, four total runs in their previous three games. Runners in scoring position was a major issue, too. That continued into play on Wednesday and will likely continue until their lineup is deeper again.
Red Sox Injury Update: Team Shares Reason for CF Ceddanne Rafaela Leaving Game