Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Hitting bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Rafaela is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays.
Rafaela has followed a hot stretch to begin June with a slump, having picked up only one hit over his previous five contests. With Rafaela on the bench Wednesday, Jarren Duran will patrol center field and David Hamilton will start at shortstop.
Rafaela is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.
Rafaela will get his first day off since May 30, clearing the way for Romy Gonzalez to pick up a start in center field. Though he's cobbled together a modest .687 OPS for the season, Rafaela has been running hot of late at the dish, slashing .468/.490/.596 with four extra-base hits and two stolen bases over his last 12 games.
Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Sizzling bat continues in win
Rotowire
Rafaela went 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and an RBI in Tuesday's 4-3 win over Toronto.
Rafaela drove in the game-winning run with an eighth-inning single. The rookie's bat continues to sizzle; Rafaela has hit safely in seven consecutive games, including multiple hits in six of those contests. He's 16-for-26 (.615) with three doubles, a home run, two steals, four RBI and six runs scored during the streak.
Red Sox's Ceddanne Rafaela: Three more hits in win
Rotowire
Rafaela went 3-for-4 with two RBI, one stolen base and one run scored in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Yankees.
Rafaela has multiple hits in four of the last five games, including three hits in each of the last two contests. The steal was his first since June 1, though he's up to nine thefts on 14 attempts this year. The 23-year-old is up to a .238/.264/.383 slash line through 263 plate appearances this season, though his performance in June has seen him trend upward in everything but power.
