Red Sox Prospect Ceddanne Rafaela Was Busy Playing Video Games When He Got Called Up

Ceddanne Rafaela was playing PlayStation with his brother when Triple-A manager Chad Tracy tried to tell him he got called up by the Boston Red Sox.

The Boston Red Sox officially promoted Ceddanne Rafaela to the big leagues on Monday, adding one of the top prospects in baseball to their active roster.

It took a few tries to get a hold of the 22-year-old, though.

Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy tried to be the first to deliver the good news, but Rafaela wasn't picking up his phone. As he would later admit in his first-ever press conference Monday afternoon, Rafaela was busy playing video games.

"I was playing PlayStation with my brother and the manager, Trace, called me and didn't respond a couple times," Rafaela said. "And then I respond and he told me 'You didn't want to play in the big leagues?'"

Rafaela had been with Triple-A Worcester since June, batting .312 with 14 home runs, 42 RBI, six stolen bases and a .988 OPS in 48 games. Adding in his 60 games with Double-A Portland earlier in the season, Rafaela is batting .302 with 20 home runs, 79 RBI, 36 stolen bases and an .870 OPS in 2023.

The center fielder and shortstop from Curacao is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Red Sox's farm system, as well as the No. 77 overall prospect in baseball.

Coming in at 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, Rafaela is a five-tool player, earning grades of 70 field, 60 arm, 60 run, 50 power and 50 hit from MLB Pipeline.

Rafaela is not in the Red Sox's starting lineup against the Houston Astros on Monday, although he will be available off the bench. The dynamic fielder is also a speedster on the basepaths, making him a prime candidate to be either a defensive replacement or pinch-runner.

Regardless of how much he ends up playing moving forward, Rafaela is expected to retain his rookie eligibility heading into 2024.

If he doesn't start next season in the majors, at least he now knows to keep his ringer on when expecting a promotion.

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