Red Sox’s Alex Cora Shares Statement About Recent ‘Frustration’

The Red Sox do have some things to be excited about right now...

Jun 28, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A bucket of baseballs sits on the grass before a game between the Boston Red Sox and the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

There has been more going on with the Boston Red Sox over the last week or so outside of the Rafael Devers buzz.

Another guy that has been talked about is outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela. He’s been great lately. Overall, this season he’s slashing .242/.295/.367 with two homers, 15 RBIs, seven stolen bases, eight walks, six doubles, two triples, and 22 runs scored in 38 games played. He already has racked up 1.5 wins above replacement in the small sample size. In comparison, he had 2.8 wins above replacement overall last year in 152 games played.

On top of this, he’s arguably the best defensive center fielder in baseball right now.

The biggest question mark with him certainly is his free-swinging, but he has improved. Last year, he had 15 walks overall throughout the entire season. He's already over halfway to that mark with eight.

While this is the case, MassLive.com's Sean McAdam shared recently that there has been "growing frustration" in the organization with Rafaela's plate discipline.

Manager Alex Cora addressed the chatter, as shared by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. 

"There's a few things different mechanic-wise. We've been working on a few adjustments the last 10-15 days. It's paying off. He's more direct to the ball. He's hitting the ball out in front," Cotillo said. "He's still swinging a lot. Kind of solving the problem early in the AB. One thing that he needs to understand is that when he gets deeper into counts, he can still be in control of the at-bat. He's putting good at-bats with RISP.

"It's the give and take. We want him to be aggressive and swing at pitches in the zone, but at the same time, he can put an at-bat together."

More MLB: Rafael Devers’ Future With Red Sox Isn’t Guaranteed, Per Insider