Great News for Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox outfielder is going to be just fine.

Aug 2, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (3) reacts in the dugout against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the Boston Red Sox didn't have the day that they wanted to have on Friday, there was at least some good news shared by the team.

When the Red Sox released their lineup for Friday's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the most notable omission was center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela. At this point, it's rare to see a game without Rafaela involved. Plus, with Rafaela getting hit on the hand by a pitch on Thursday, there were at least some questions about whether Rafaela was missing the opener due to an injury or simply a day off.

Fortunately, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy shared that Rafaela is fine and it was just a day off for him.

Ceddanne Rafaela Is Alright

Aug 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (3) runs the bases to score on an RBI double by third baseman Caleb Durbin (not pictured) during the seventh inning against the Athletics at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Just a day," Tracy said. "This is the day that I was talking about as far as him being the last one of a long run of games. Coming off the travel day, this felt like the day to do it. He's okay. He's okay. Everything checked out fine there. This was just the appropriate day to do it."

Chad Tracy confirmed that Ceddanne Rafaela is NOT hurt, and today is a scheduled day off for the #RedSox outfielder ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/8pWjSvNUwU

— NESN (@NESN) August 14, 2026

So, there you have it Red Sox fans. There's no need for concern for Rafaela.

Right now, the Red Sox are in a rut and couldn't afford to lose another significant piece at this point. Boston has lost six of its last seven games, including Friday's opener against the Pirates. It wasn't Boston's day. Boston dropped the opener, 8-4. Jake Bennett took the mound and allowed four earned runs in four innings of work. Jovani Morán, who has been steady for the vast majority of the season, pitched one inning and allowed three runs in the process.

Boston had plenty of traffic on the base paths, but just couldn't get it done. The Red Sox racked up nine base hits — the same as Pittsburgh — but left eight runners on base. In comparison, the Pirates finished the game with just three runners left on base.

Fortunately, Rafaela is alright and should be ready to go again on Sunday to try to help boost this offense. He has been among Boston's most consistent offensive weapons this season. Right now, he's slashing .288/.326/.467 with 16 home runs, 63 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and a league-leading 28 doubles in 117 games played.

Boston will turn to its No. 1 starter in Sonny Gray. Even when things were bad earlier in the season, Gray gave Boston a chance to win each time he took the mound. The Pirates will respond with righty Jared Jones.