Ceddanne Rafaela, right, is greeted by David Hamilton as he scores a run against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 13. Rafaela has raised his average from .202 to .251 over the last two weeks, thanks to a 22-for-47 hot stretch. Steven Senne/Associated Press
TORONTO — Ceddanne Rafaela ended May as one of the weak links of the Red Sox lineup, hitting just .211 with a .626 OPS through the first 57 games of the season. June, however, has been a different story.
Rafaela, who went 3 for 4 and had the game-winning RBI single in the eighth inning of Boston’s come-from-behind 4-3 win Tuesday night at Rogers Centre, is hitting .377 with eight RBI and an .881 OPS so far this month, quietly giving the Red Sox a ton of production from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. He has hits in seven straight games and multiple hits in his last four.
In a lineup with Rafael Devers, Tyler O’Neill, Jarren Duran and others, it’s Rafaela who leads the club with 41 RBI. A defense-first player has gradually shown significant development on the offensive side in his first full season of big league action.
Suddenly, Rafaela is hitting .251 with an OPS approaching .700. He’s hitting .468 in his last 12 games.
“Special player,” said teammate Tanner Houck. “Everyone knew that the talent was there. Everyone sees the athleticism. It’s the stuff off the field you don’t get to see, the work he puts in every day. It was just a matter of time that he was going to get everything to click.”
Rafaela hit one of Boston’s four solo homers in Monday’s win over the Blue Jays. On Tuesday, he struck out in his first at-bat, but singled to lead off the fifth and roped a double to lead off the seventh with the Sox trailing by a run. In the eighth, after O’Neill had tied it with his third homer in two days, Rafaela got a chance to hit with two outs because Dom Smith singled off lefty Brendon Little.
Manager Alex Cora didn’t hesitate in that spot, lifting Smith for speedster David Hamilton, who was held out of the lineup because of a left side injury that forced him to leave Monday’s game early. Hamilton felt good enough to run and took off on the first pitch Chad Green threw, stealing second without a throw from catcher Alejandro Kirk
“It started with a big swing,” Cora recalled. “We got a matchup we liked, the lefty against the righty. T.O put a good swing on it. Then we were waiting for the right moment to use Hammy.”
Two pitches later, Rafaela connected on a slider in the middle of the zone, lining it toward shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa at 102.3 mph. Kiner-Falefa couldn’t corral the ball and Hamilton easily scored from second, plating the winning run.
“In that spot, he has been successful the whole season,” Cora said. “He’s leading the team in RBI. He has been able to control the at-bats, use the other field. He has been doing a good job. Now you look at the numbers, and he’s probably above-average in batting average. And playing good defense.”
With Rafaela in the No. 9 spot and both Hamilton and Jarren Duran also in the lineup, the Red Sox have speed in three of their nine spots on most nights. Cora has likened them to the “Go-Go Red Sox” on certain days, especially after they stole a franchise-record nine bases in Sunday’s win over New York. Once Hamilton got to second base Tuesday with his 19th steal of the season, Rafaela knew it was time to lock in.
“It’s awesome to help the team in that situation,” Rafaela said. “I knew the team needed me right there to put a good at-bat, so I was trying to get the best pitch I could to drive him in.”
Rafaela’s calling card has always been the defensive ability he has showcased on an elite level in center field and on an above-average level at shortstop so far this season. When the Red Sox chose to keep him on the Opening Day roster – and sign him to an eight-year, $50 million contract after just 28 games in the majors – they did so knowing there were still strides to be made in the batter’s box. The 23-year-old had a .561 OPS in 30 games to start the year, then a .698 OPS in May. Strikeouts, because of Rafaela’s tendency to swing at balls, are still an issue, as he has 74 times in 271 plate appearances (27.3%) so far this season. The Red Sox hope that rate goes down as he continues to become a more complete offensive player.
“He made some adjustments with his stance and where his hands are and he’s swinging at the right pitches,” Cora said. “He’s not chasing as much.
“We knew it was going to be a struggle early in the season, but right now, he’s in a good spot.”
Rafaela has helped Boston’s offense wake up during a stretch in which the club has won four in a row (and seven out of nine games) to get back to four games above .500 (39-35) for the first time since May 2.
“It has been good,” Cora said. “We’re playing good baseball. It seems like everybody’s locked in and understanding their roles, how we’re going to use them. It has been fun to watch. That was a very intense game, a very good game, and we were able to win it.”
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