Ceddanne Rafaela DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong and outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela are not in the starting nine on Saturday when they continue a four-game set against the Texas Rangers. Wong got the starting nod in each of the first two games and went 1-for-7 at the plate with a 1:1 BB:K. Rafaela started in each of the first two games as well and covered center field, and went 0-for-8 at the plate. As a result, Carlos Narvaez will get the start behind the dish and Jarren Duran will shift to center field, which opens left field for Kristian Campbell, and allows David Hamilton to enter the lineup and cover the keystone. Fantasy managers should expect both Wong and Rafaela to return to the starting nine for the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon. Narvaez and Hamilton are not worth considering in DFS facing Texas right-hander Tyler Mahle.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (hamstring) is in Saturday's lineup. He will cover center field and bat in the cleanup. Rafaela has dealt with hamstring tightness throughout the week but has been cleared for action. Seeing him return to the lineup suggests he will not face any restrictions by Opening Day. Last season, the 24-year-old appeared in a career-high 152 contests and held a .246/.274/.390 slash line. He tallied 23 doubles, five triples and 15 home runs. He swiped 19 bags but was caught stealing 10 times. However, he generated a weak .229 xBA with a low 36.3 percent hard-hit rate. He held a high 26.4 percent strikeout rate with a low 2.6 percent walk rate. When healthy, fantasy managers should expect Rafaela to see most of his time in center field with occasional starts at second base and shortstop.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (hamstring) is doing better and will do some running in camp on Thursday. If that goes well, Rafaela will be cleared to return to Grapefruit League action this weekend. Rafaela has been held out of spring training games this week after experiencing hamstring tightness in a game last Sunday. However, he appears to be making good progress and should be just fine for Opening Day in late March, barring a setback once he returns to games. Out of necessity, the 24-year-old was forced to play a lot of middle infield for the BoSox in his rookie season in 2024, but Boston plans on using him as their primary center fielder this year. While Rafaela's glove is way ahead of his bat, hopefully sticking in center will allow him to focus on his offensive game much more in his sophomore season. He's ranked as RotoBaller's No. 53 fantasy outfielder.