Grading the Red Sox Xander Bogaerts backup plans

Grading the Red Sox backup plan for Xander Bogaerts: Ceddanne Rafaela

Now you have my attention. Ceddanne Rafaela is one of the Boston Red Sox top prospects. The Curacao native burst onto the scene last season while playing in the minor leagues and slashed .299/.342/.529 with 21 round-trippers.

Now, you’re never going to confuse Rafaela for fellow prospect Triston Casas. Rafaela stands just 5-foot-8 while Casas is every bit of 6-foot-4. But Rafaela certainly packs a punch in his diminutive frame.

In addition to his 21 homers between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland, Rafaela also recorded 32 doubles and 10 triples while also stealing 28 bags in 116 games last season.

But, will the Red Sox actually add Ceddanne Rafaela to the Opening Day roster? That’s a question that will be answered later this spring. While Rafaela is on the Red Sox 40-man roster, the club may prefer that he begins the 2023 season at Triple-A in order to work on his hitting.

Rafaela, despite his offensive outburst in 2023, is still considered a glove-first prospect. Rafaela can play a variety of positions, but it’s likely a tossup between shortstop and center field. If the Red Sox moved Kike Hernandez back to center field and allowed Rafaela to begin the season at shortstop, it would provide them with a better defensive alignment.

Grade: B-