Ceddanne Rafaela Fantasy Stats

Boston Red Sox outfielder/second baseman Ceddanne Rafaela (back) is starting in center field and batting in the two-hole for Tuesday's series opener against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Shane Baz at Fenway Park, according to MLB.com. Rafaela is back in action after the BoSox scratched him from the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Cleveland Guardians due to soreness in his lower back. The 25-year-old is good to go after the team's scheduled day off on Monday. He's batting .275/.340/.430 with a .770 OPS, five home runs, 23 RBI, 23 runs scored, and six stolen bases in 55 games in 2026 in his third full season in the big leagues. Rafaela went 10-for-40 (.250) with a homer, four doubles, four RBI, five runs scored, and a stolen base in 10 games since May 18 to close out May. The native of Curacao finished four home runs shy of his first 20-20 campaign in Boston last year, and he has been one of the team's most consistent offensive performers through the first two months of the 2026 campaign.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (undisclosed) has been scratched from his team's lineup for their Sunday matchup against the Cleveland Guardians, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran will shift from left field to center field on Sunday, while Masataka Yoshida will play left field. The exact nature of Rafaela's injury or whether it will require him to hit the injured list is not yet clear. The 25-year-old has been one of Boston's better players so far this season, hitting .275/.340/.430 with five home runs, 23 RBI, 23 runs scored, and six stolen bases across 212 plate appearances. Rafaela battled a minor hamstring injury earlier this month, but was able to return without an IL stint. Should he be facing an extended injury absence, Red Sox outfield prospect Kristian Campbell could be in line for a promotion from Triple-A.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (hamstring) is back in center field and will bat out of the two-hole for Tuesday's game against the hosting Kansas City Royals and left-hander Bailey Falter, according to MLB.com. Rafaela was not in the starting nine for Monday's series opener against the Royals, but he entered as a defensive replacement, and now he's back in the starting lineup for Game 2 at Kauffman Stadium. Not only is the 25-year-old native of Cuacao one of the best defensive center fielders in the game, but he's also been one of Boston's best producers on offense, entering Tuesday's tilt with a .284/.354/.432 slash line with a .786 OPS, four home runs, 19 RBI, 18 runs scored, and three stolen bases across 45 games and 164 plate appearances. Rafaela has been even better in May, going 17-for-53 (.321) with three of his home runs, two doubles, nine RBI, three steals, and five runs scored in 16 games played. Get him back into your starting lineups in all traditional formats on Tuesday.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (hamstring) is dealing with some hamstring tightness, which is why he was not in the team's starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the Kansas City Royals, interim manager Chad Tracy told Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. With Rafaela sitting out, Jarren Duran made the start in center field, with Masataka Yoshida manning left field for the BoSox. It's not a major injury for Rafaela, thankfully, and Tracy expects him to return to the lineup for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday. The 25-year-old has been one of the team's best hitters so far in 2026, batting .284 (42-for-148) with four home runs, 19 RBI, 18 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 44 games across 164 plate appearances. He's been even better in May, going 17-for-53 (.321) with a .390 on-base percentage, .528 slugging percentage, and .918 OPS. Rafaela is tied with the Rangers' Evan Carter for most defensive runs saved among American League center fielders, and he ranks in the 99th percentile in outs above average (six).

After combining for a .248/.284/.402 slash line, .686 OPS, 31 home runs, 138 RBI, 39 stolen bases, and 154 runs scored in 308 regular-season games over the last two years as a full-time player in Beantown, outfielder/second baseman Ceddanne Rafaela has been a disappointment through 38 games in 2026. Going into Tuesday's action this week, the 25-year-old is slashing .269/.336/.400, but with a career-high .736 OPS, three home runs, 16 RBI, 17 runs, and only two stolen bases across 143 plate appearances. Savvy fantasy managers should consider buying low on the Red Sox outfielder, even though he's currently in the 29th percentile in hard-hit rate and the 15th percentile in walk rate. So far in nine games in May, he's gone 10-for-35 (.286) at the plate with two home runs, six RBI, four runs scored, two stolen bases, two walks, and eight strikeouts. Rafaela is probably never going to be an asset in on-base percentage unless he cleans up his plate approach, but as an everyday player, he should offer enough power and speed to potentially threaten for a 20-20 campaign if he stays healthy.

Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Cincinnati Reds. Rafaela had started the first two games of the season, but he'll open Sunday's game on the bench. Masataka Yoshida will make his first start of the year in left field, shifting Roman Anthony to designated hitter and Jarren Duran to center field. Rafaela has been off to an impressive start so far, hitting 3-for-9 with one run, one RBI, and one strikeout. He's also one of the most prominent defenders in baseball, so losing his glove in center field puts the Red Sox at a disadvantage. It makes sense to get Yoshida's left-handed bat in the lineup against Reds righty Rhett Lowder, although Rafaela did have reverse splits in 2025 (.720 OPS against right-handed pitching).

Boston Red Sox outfielders Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela had a scary moment on Friday when they collided in the outfield during the Grapefruit League game against the Atlanta Braves, but the two outfielders both ended up staying in the game. They are back in action on Saturday versus the Minnesota Twins, an excellent sign for Boston. Anthony, who was the top prospect in baseball at this time last year, will join Team USA soon for the World Baseball Classic. The 21-year-old has gone 3-for-16 at the plate with a double and four strikeouts so far in Grapefruit League play. He is set to be Boston's leadoff hitter in his first full year in the big leagues. Anthony looked the part in 257 at-bats in 2025, hitting .292/.396/.463 with eight homers and 32 RBI. He can be a top-10 fantasy outfielder in 2026. Rafaela, 25, is another rising Red Sox outfielder who already has two homers this spring. He's ranked as RotoBaller's No. 37 fantasy outfielder.

Boston Red Sox outfielder/infielder Ceddanne Rafaela might not shift positions as frequently in 2026. Recently, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said it was unlikely that Rafaela would play second base this season. Due to their logjam in the outfield, Rafaela played 24 games at second base in 2025. His defensive abilities are a much better fit in center field, as Rafaela committed three errors in a little over 20 games at the keystone. The Red Sox would rather have Rafaela in center field, a position where he won a Gold Glove this past season. If he remains in the outfield, Rafaela would likely lose his second-base eligibility, which would be a bummer for fantasy managers. The elite defensive ability in the outfield should keep Rafaela in center field on an everyday basis.

Boston Red Sox infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela continued his July power surge in a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. Rafaela finished 1-for-3 with a two-run shot off Rays starter Ryan Pepiot, giving him five dingers in 11 games this month. The 24-year-old has gone 16-for-41 (.390) with six doubles, 15 RBI, and 10 runs in July, and his hot hitting goes back several weeks. Rafaela owned an uninspiring .647 OPS entering June, but that number has skyrocketed by 150 points in the past month and a half. He'll head into the second part of the season slashing .271/.314/.483 with 14 homers, 48 RBI, 55 runs, 13 steals, and an above-average 19.4% strikeout rate in 341 plate appearances. He's already just one HR away from tying the career-high 15 he hit last year in 152 games. With Rafaela ranking in the top 20% of hitters in xSLG and barrel rate, his spike in power looks legitimate.

Boston Red Sox infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela is starting in center field and is batting sixth on Sunday in the series finale against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Ryan Pepiot at Fenway Park. Rafaela, who has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball for a while now, played second for the first time this year and hit out of the two-hole on Saturday with third baseman Alex Bregman resting. The 24-year-old hit a walk-off homer in the ninth on Friday night and is currently in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak in which he's batting .429 (15-for-35) with four home runs, six doubles, 13 RBI, nine runs scored and two stolen bases in 36 plate appearances. Not only is Rafaela one of the hottest hitters in the game right now, but he's hit .364 with two RBI in 11 career at-bats against Pepiot. Keep him in your starting lineups.