{"id":1438,"date":"2026-05-28T22:34:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T22:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1438"},"modified":"2026-05-28T22:34:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T22:34:19","slug":"ceddanne-rafaela-earned-his-spot-higher-in-red-sox-batting-order-with-more-discipline-at-the-plate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1438","title":{"rendered":"Ceddanne Rafaela earned his spot higher in Red Sox batting order with more discipline at the plate"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>For most of his big league career, <b>Ceddanne Rafaela<\/b> resided in the bottom of the Red Sox lineup. As much as he appreciated his everyday role, batting ninth wasn\u2019t his desired perch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1436\">NBA\u2019s board of governors passes anti-tanking changes to draft lottery<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI was fine with [hitting ninth], because I had the opportunity to play every day,\u201d said Rafaela. \u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Rafaela is now getting a chance to make that point. On Thursday against the Braves at Fenway Park, interim manager <b>Chad Tracy<\/b> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>\u201cA few years back, everything that came out of the hand was something he wanted to go on,\u201d said Tracy. \u201cHe could hit a ball out of the ballpark. Still can. But it\u2019s not the most conducive approach when you\u2019re facing big league pitching \u2026 In my time this month [in the big leagues], there\u2019s a pretty discernible [ability] to tell [he\u2019s] being more particular about what he swings at.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><span>Get Starting Point<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/span><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><label>Enter Email<\/label><\/p>\n<div><button>Sign Up<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>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\u2019s narrowed his sights even further on the first pitch of at-bats, reducing his swing rate from 49 to 35 percent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cOn the first pitch, I don\u2019t want to throw my at-bat away. I\u2019ve really been looking for one pitch in one location the first pitch of an AB. If it\u2019s not there, I\u2019m not going to swing,\u201d said Rafaela. \u201cSometimes I\u2019m going to chase, but I feel confident that if you don\u2019t throw [a strike], I\u2019m going to walk now. I think that\u2019s something that\u2019s been helping me this year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Rafaela feels improved discipline and a greater willingness to take a walk has made him a better hitter, and more consistent contributor \u2014 one whose year-over-year growth earned an elevated lineup spot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1434\">Collins responds to Platner saying that she \u2018voted to send me to Iraq\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cEvery year I get hot for a month or two and then I go back. That\u2019s what I don\u2019t want this year. I just want to be as consistent as I can be,\u201d said Rafaela. \u201cYou can say that I\u2019m proud of myself and where I\u2019ve come now. [But] I know I\u2019m really far from what I can do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So, what does he think he can do?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cA lot more,\u201d he grinned. \u201cWe\u2019re just on a path [to improvement] right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<h2>Whitlock sidelined<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Righthander <b>Garrett Whitlock<\/b>, 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 <b>Tyler Samaniego<\/b> from Triple-A Worcester.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Whitlock incurred the injury when he slipped throwing a warm-up pitch on a muddy mound during Sunday\u2019s rainy loss to the Twins. He\u2019s 3-1 with a 3.20 ERA and 31 percent strikeout rate in his setup role.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Samaniego has a 1.04 ERA and 18 percent strikeout rate in 18 games (17\u2153 innings) in his big league debut season. He was optioned to Triple-A Sunday, but didn\u2019t pitch in Worcester after being sent down.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<h2>Teeing it up<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><span><b>Roman Anthony<\/b> 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\u2019t worsened while he\u2019s built intensity throughout the week, and has improved considerably since his abortive effort to start swinging in Kansas City \u2026 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 <b>Bruce Meyer<\/b> 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. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1432\">Overwhelming favorite Jannik Sinner upset in second round at French Open<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Thursday against the Braves at Fenway Park, Rafaela was the No. 2 hitter for the sixth time in eight games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ceddanne Rafaela earned his spot higher in Red Sox batting order with more discipline at the plate - 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