Ceddanne Rafaela earned his spot higher in Red Sox batting order with more discipline at the plate

For most of his big league career, Ceddanne Rafaela resided in the bottom of the Red Sox lineup. As much as he appreciated his everyday role, batting ninth wasn’t his desired perch.

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“I was fine with [hitting ninth], because I had the opportunity to play every day,” said Rafaela. “But personally it was a goal of mine to be in the first five hitters, because I know what type of hitter I am and what I can do for the team.”

Rafaela is now getting a chance to make that point. On Thursday against the Braves at Fenway Park, interim manager Chad Tracy slotted Rafaela as the No. 2 hitter for the sixth time in eight games. Tracy, who had Rafaela in Triple-A Worcester in 2023, cited increased plate discipline and improved swing decisions for the assignment.

“A few years back, everything that came out of the hand was something he wanted to go on,” said Tracy. “He could hit a ball out of the ballpark. Still can. But it’s not the most conducive approach when you’re facing big league pitching … In my time this month [in the big leagues], there’s a pretty discernible [ability] to tell [he’s] being more particular about what he swings at.”

The numbers validate the claim. Rafaela, who entered Thursday hitting .285/.350/.441 with five homers, has cut his chase rate from 42 percent in 2025 to 35 percent this year, a 7 percent drop that ranks as the third largest among big league regulars. He’s narrowed his sights even further on the first pitch of at-bats, reducing his swing rate from 49 to 35 percent.

“On the first pitch, I don’t want to throw my at-bat away. I’ve really been looking for one pitch in one location the first pitch of an AB. If it’s not there, I’m not going to swing,” said Rafaela. “Sometimes I’m going to chase, but I feel confident that if you don’t throw [a strike], I’m going to walk now. I think that’s something that’s been helping me this year.”

Rafaela feels improved discipline and a greater willingness to take a walk has made him a better hitter, and more consistent contributor — one whose year-over-year growth earned an elevated lineup spot.

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“Every year I get hot for a month or two and then I go back. That’s what I don’t want this year. I just want to be as consistent as I can be,” said Rafaela. “You can say that I’m proud of myself and where I’ve come now. [But] I know I’m really far from what I can do.”

So, what does he think he can do?

“A lot more,” he grinned. “We’re just on a path [to improvement] right now.”

Righthander Garrett Whitlock, who received a painkilling injection for his hyperextended left knee Wednesday, was placed on the 15-day injured list with inflammation, a move made retroactively to Monday. With Whitlock sidelined, the Sox recalled lefthander Tyler Samaniego from Triple-A Worcester.

Whitlock incurred the injury when he slipped throwing a warm-up pitch on a muddy mound during Sunday’s rainy loss to the Twins. He’s 3-1 with a 3.20 ERA and 31 percent strikeout rate in his setup role.

Samaniego has a 1.04 ERA and 18 percent strikeout rate in 18 games (17⅓ innings) in his big league debut season. He was optioned to Triple-A Sunday, but didn’t pitch in Worcester after being sent down.

Roman Anthony took swings off a tee Thursday for the first time since suffering his right wrist sprain on May 4. Though the outfielder still feels discomfort in the finish of his swing, it hasn’t worsened while he’s built intensity throughout the week, and has improved considerably since his abortive effort to start swinging in Kansas City … One day after the MLB Players Association made an initial proposal for a new collective bargaining agreement built around greater team revenue sharing, owners countered by proposing a salary cap of $245.3 million and floor of $171.2 million. MLBPA interim executive director Bruce Meyer issued a statement criticizing caps, noting that the last time MLB pursued them in 1994-95, it resulted in the longest work stoppage in baseball history.

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