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The Red Sox announced a Ceddanne Rafaela decision before the Pirates series opener as Boston looks to get back on track.
Ceddanne Rafaela is out of Friday’s lineup for the Red Sox, the team announced, as Boston opens a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Trade-deadline acquisition Eli White is set to start in center field in the 2025 Gold Glove winner’s place.
The timing raises an obvious question: is Boston simply resting its All-Star center fielder, or is Thursday’s hit-by-pitch off his right hand behind the move?
As of Friday afternoon, nothing pointed to an injury. A Red Sox-focused account closely tracking Boston’s daily lineups flagged the absence as a rare day off.
Rafaela, last year’s American League Gold Glove winner in center field, has started 112 of Boston’s 121 games in 2026, making Friday’s absence a notable break in an otherwise heavy workload. He finished Thursday’s win over the Blue Jays 2-for-4 with two runs scored, exiting after a pitch caught his hand in the sixth inning.
Why Eli White Is Starting For Ceddanne Rafaela
White, acquired by Boston from the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline earlier this month, is a versatile outfielder capable of manning all three outfield spots. Since joining the Red Sox, White has appeared mainly in late-inning cameos, subbing in center for Rafaela and drawing occasional right field starts, according to MLB.com‘s Ian Browne.
Manager Chad Tracy has pointed to White’s versatility as a way to build in regular rest for both Rafaela and left fielder Wilyer Abreu without weakening the lineup. Friday’s start fits that pattern, arriving right after Thursday’s hit-by-pitch and a five-game losing streak that snapped in a win over the Toronto Blue Jays Thursday.
Early concern that the hand injury might linger eased somewhat, with the initial read pointing to no serious damage. No injured list move has been announced.
Rafaela’s Numbers Amid Boston Red Sox Skid
Through Thursday, Rafaela is hitting .288 with a .326 on-base percentage and a .467 slugging mark, a .794 OPS, 16 home runs, 63 RBI, 63 runs and 16 stolen bases across 117 games. His August has featured multi-hit efforts and a home run during the Blue Jays series, numbers that sit above his season averages rather than below them.
Boston’s five straight losses from Aug. 8-12 owed far more to situational hitting across the roster than to any single player. The Red Sox hit .360 with runners in scoring position during a nine-game win streak from July 29 through Aug. 7, then collapsed to .119 in that split during the losing skid, stranding 43 runners over five games, according to Boston.com.
Rafaela wasn’t blameless — he was picked off attempting to stretch a wild pitch into an extra base during Wednesday’s loss to Toronto and thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double Thursday — but he kept producing, including a home run and RBI in that same series. Interim manager Tracy summed up the stretch simply.
“We’re pretty battle-tested at this point,” Tracy said.
Boston snapped the skid Thursday behind Payton Tolle’s eight-inning outing, a 7-0 win that steadied the Red Sox heading into Pittsburgh. The club still projects as an excellent bet for the postseason, but the past week left little margin for another prolonged slide. Whether Friday’s rest is precaution or simple maintenance, White’s expanded role gives Tracy more flexibility to keep his lineup fresh down the stretch.
Jonathan Vankin JONATHAN VANKIN is an award-winning journalist who covers MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, boxing, golf, and Olympic sports for Heavy.com. He twice won New England Newspaper and Press Association awards for sports feature writing. He was a sports editor and writer at The Daily Yomiuri in Tokyo, Japan, covering the Olympics, pro baseball, boxing, sumo and other sports. More about Jonathan Vankin
