Red Sox may have Ceddanne Rafaela play second base during winter ball
Red Sox prospect Ceddanne Rafaela has started in center field and at shortstop since he joined the club in August. He’s also seen time as a defensive replacement at second base.
Rafaela is athletic enough to play all over the field and he maybe asked to play second base during winter ball once the season ends.
“If he goes, probably that’s going to be the case,” said Alex Cora to the media. “If he goes, yeah. We’ll talk about it. Last year, he played a little bit down there. It was beneficial for him. This year, he has a lot of at-bats already and we’ll see how he finishes. That’s something we’ll talk about in the upcoming days.”
The versatile young prospect offers the Red Sox many options as to where he can play. He’s been sound defensively in center field and shortstop.
With the Red Sox having no clear cut second baseman for 2024, having Rafaela workout and learn the position makes sense.
Unfortunately, Cora can’t say where Rafaela’s long term position is with the Red Sox.
“I think that’s a question for later,” said Cora. “The fact that he can be versatile (opens up multiple possibilities). The second base part of it is real. We believe he can do it, too. It’s just a matter of whether we play him there in September. But versatility is a big part of this game. It helps your roster. He’s a good defender at short, at center field, and other positions.
“Talking to (WooSox skipper) Chad Tracy (Monday), he takes grounders at third and he looks like a natural. He’s a good athlete who can do it all. We’ll see what the future holds.”
The Red Sox are very high on Rafaela and look at him as a potential piece to the puzzle in 2024. With the likelihood of Alex Verdugo being traded for potential pitching help this winter, Cora was asked if Rafaela is an option in right field.
“Honestly, we haven’t talked about that yet,” he said. “I think the impact in center field is real. We saw it right away. When you see him on a daily basis you say, ‘OK, that’s what they’re talking about.’ He’s going to be a big leaguer and he’s going to impact this roster at one point. He is impacting the roster right now.”
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