Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela made his return from the injured list Wednesday. Rafaela, who missed the previous 17 games with a quad injury that he suffered against the Seattle Mariners on Sept. 2, was removed from the game after appearing to tweak his hamstring on a single in the second inning off Cleveland Guardians pitcher Foster Griffin. Rafaela did stay on to run the bases, but something was clearly wrong as he took his place in centerfield in the top of the third inning, forcing his removal by manager Chad Tracy.
The Red Sox can ill afford to lose the 2025 American League Gold Glove recipient again, as his return was supposed to come in time for him to get a few games under his belt before the club's presumed matchup with the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Series starting next Tuesday. It's been a struggle offensively for the club over the last several weeks, as they've struggled to cash in on opportunities with runners in scoring position, going just 25-for-140 (.178) while leaving 141 men on base in September -- helping them score just 4.44 runs per game in the month. Jarren Duran is the default option to replace the all-world center fielder, as Nate Eaton was optioned earlier in the afternoon and Eli White was placed on the injured list with a right foot ligament injury on Sept. 11.
Roman Anthony will be forced to play left field on a daily basis without Rafaela, which means more at-bats for the likes of Jahmai Jones and Mickey Gasper. Boston was hoping to answer questions prior to the start of the postseason, but instead it looks like there will be more questions.
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