Red Sox Won’t Move Ceddanne Rafaela But Something Has to Give

The Boston Red Sox are at a crossroads right now and something needs to be done.

Apr 8, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (3) runs to third base during the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have a lot to think about after 24 games. Boston currently sits at 9-15 on the season, which is tied for the second-worst record in the American League with the Chicago White Sox and ahead of just the 8-17 Kansas City Royals.

This type of season was more of an expectation for the White Sox than it was for the Red Sox. When you add pieces like Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Ranger Suárez, you're not doing it to be in last place in the American League East.

While the rotation and bullpen are good on paper, the offense simply hasn't been good enough. There's no way around it. Boston is 26th in the league in runs scored with 90. Boston is in last place in the league with just 13 homers. The Red Sox are 23rd in the league right now and are hitting .226 as a team. It doesn't help that the roster isn't fully maximized as well. This idea goes back to the outfield. It's been a talking point since the offseason. Boston has a logjam of outfielders and at least one of Roman Anthony, Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu or Ceddanne Rafaela is sitting each night. How do you build momentum when playing time isn't consistent?

What Will The Red Sox Do?

Apr 15, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Roman Anthony (left) and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela return to the dugout after scoring against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning on a double by shortstop Trevor Story (not pictured) at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Willson Contreras has been great in the infield and Trevor Story has shown some flashes, but both Marcelo Mayer and Caleb Durbin have struggled. Mayer, Durbin, Duran and Story are all hitting below .200. Clearly, something isn't working. The roster isn't maximized and we're going to continue to see inconsistencies. One thing that is true as well is that things aren't changing in the short term. One topic that has been talked about a bit is whether the Red Sox should move Rafaela into the infield to then give the outfielders in general even more time. If Rafaela was at second base, for example, then you could have Anthony, Duran and Abreu in the outfield with Yoshida as DH. In that scenario, you could have either Mayer or Durbin at third base and send the other one down to Triple-A.

But, Red Sox manager Alex Cora shut the idea down on Wednesday.

"Not right now," Cora said when asked whether Rafaela would be moved to the infield, as transcribed by Tim Healey of The Boston Globe.

Rafaela is arguably the best defensive center fielder in baseball. He won the American League Gold Glove Award at the position in 2025. It's really not shocking that the club wouldn't want to make a move like that at this time simply because he is that good defensively.

What about Duran, though? This is speculation, but he has professional experience in the infield. He played a bit of second base down in the minors. What if the Red Sox gave him reps behind the scenes to build up and then shifted him to the infield and then rolled with either Mayer or Durbin at third base? It wouldn't be a perfect fit, of course. But with the way the roster is currently constructed, there isn't going to be a perfect solution.