Ceddanne Rafaela has had a very weird season this year in 2025. The Boston Red Sox outfielder was doing amazing in center field full-time, but since the Roman Anthony call-up, along with Wilyer Abreu returning from injury, among other factors, he was moved to second base and now alternates between there and center.
Since that move, he hasn't been doing well. It's time to move him back to center full-time, where he belongs, and many annoyed fans on that part agree.
Rafaela was batting like his 2024 inconsistent self, where he was hitting only .239 with just two doubles, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 44 hits, and just a .359 slugging percentage with a .647 OPS in his first 55 games (184 at-bats). That's when things changed.
From June until the All-Star Break, he batted .316, with an OPS of 1.004, a .654 slugging percentage, and hit 11 HRs with 12 doubles, 42 hits, 28 RBIs, and only 27 strikeouts in 37 games (133 at-bats). In a way, the All-Star Break was the worst thing to happen to him. It completely ruined that momentum.
Red Sox Must Increased Ceddanne Rafaela's Playing Time
With the Red Sox, they've already been playing him full-time, so there's no issue here. The problem is that he should be playing full-time in just one position... and it's not second base. He's been stuck in the insufferable logjam in that outfield, where manager Alex Cora still has to find ways to play Masataka Yoshida, Rob Refsnyder, and now Jhostynxon Garcia, along with their starters.
He never wanted to move, but the Red Sox made him move anyway. Sound familiar?
Depending on what your opinion is on the Rafael Devers trade, it seemed like ownership was already one foot out the door with him. This could be the same thing with Rafaela, and maybe he could be the guy who will headline some trade packages this winter.
Could it be that they had no choice? Maybe, but Red Sox fans shouldn't be shocked if the club has another tough decision to make should they continue misusing Rafaela.