The Boston Red Sox are losing All-Star outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela to the injured list, but have the luxury of making sure he's 100% for the greater stakes to come.
Rafaela was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday, Sept. 6, due to a quadriceps strain. Along with fellow outfielder Wilyer Abreu, Rafaela has been the club's most valuable position player this season, posting 5.5 WAR, 16 homers, 17 steals, a .760 OPS and elite defense in center field.
Outfielder Nate Eaton was summoned from Class AAA Worcester (Mass.) to replace Rafaela.
The move comes with Boston (78-65) virtually locked into the No. 2 wild card slot, with a six-game lead over No. 3 Toronto. The Red Sox's playoff odds are 99.5%, according to FanGraphs. The club can backdate Rafaela's
IL stint by five days and not risk aggravating the quad injury.
"You do the math and see he’ll need the next series to get back on his feet. So go grab another player for the next five days or so," says interim manager Chad Tracy. "It gets Nate here, gives us another player, maybe allows us to be more aggressive with pinch hits.
"I like the outfielder. With Rafa not here, you have a very good defender in Nate Eaton going out there on defense. And he can run. It allows to be more aggressive in spots, even with a lead, if we want to."
One player remaining in Worcester, likely for the remainder of the season: Kristian Campbell. Signed to an eight-year, $60 million contract just days after his major league debut in March 2025, Campbell bottomed out, first with the Red Sox (a .176 average with one homer in his last 104 plate appearances) and then at Worcester, where he batting just .211 with two homers and a .282 slugging percentage through July 1.
But Campbell has reverted to his original mechanics after the Red Sox made significant changes in his set-up the previous two seasons and has posted a .921 OPS in his past 49 games.
"I’m paying attention," says Tracy, who noted there likely wasn't a logical role for Campbell right now if the club were inclined to promote him. "Based on the beginning of the season, the first half, you break down post-All-Star break and what he’s done, it’s encouraging. It’s encouraging and now he’s carried it for a month in a row.
"He's back to a more traditional set-up with his hands. A lot of stuff driving him back to where he was a couple years ago, and his set-ups and comfort and letting him turn it loose. Right now it seems to be working, which is great."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Red Sox lose All-Star Ceddanne Rafaela to IL, leave former phenom in minors
