The Boston Red Sox currently hold a 65-54 record, which places them second in the division, four games behind the Blue Jays, and in position to host the first Wild Card spot. They've been amazing at home (39-22), but they're not so good on the road (26-32). They just lost those two said road games against the San Diego Padres in a hard-fought series. They're not slumping; they've won seven of their last 10, but some people in the lineup are, and Ceddanne Rafaela is one of them.
Since July 23rd, Rafaela has been hitting .190 with just 3 RBIs on 11 hits and 13 strikeouts. His slugging percentage is at .259 with an OPS of .497 in that 16-game period. This has put his batting average back down to .259, with an OPS of .739.
Ceddanne Rafaela's Slump May Force Red Sox's Hand
This may play him out of the Red Sox's plans. There's a "Password" that needs to be solved, and he's sitting in AAA Worcester right now. He's been red-hot, wanting a promotion so badly, and every time Rafaela whiffs on a pitch in the batter's box, Garcia is getting closer and closer. He needs to get off the schneid before he starts making Breslow reconsider.
With Rafaela, he seemed like he had finally turned a corner before the All-Star Break. Since May 27th, he was heating up before July hit. Up until the 30th of June, he was batting .306 in this period, 7 home runs, 7 doubles, posting an OPS of .907, a slugging percentage of .565, and 33 hits in 30 games.
Then, when July hit, he blew up. He batted .390, 5 home runs, 6 doubles, 16 hits, and an OPS of 1.307 with a slugging percentage of .902. He was the hottest hitter in baseball before the break, and still maintained that form somewhat until the 23rd of July. Since then, it's been a slow regression back to the mean for him.
While he's still good for his standards, he's just getting started with the funk that he's in and may not get out of it anytime soon. He's getting more anxious at the plate, and it shows with his 44% chase rate. Expect a week or two more of this.