Red Sox manager says Ceddanne Rafaela will remain primary shortstop

The Red Sox lost Trevor Story to season-ending shoulder surgery less than two weeks into the 2024 campaign, and they’ve cycled through several options there in the interim. 

However, infielder/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela has started the past six games at the position, and manager Alex Cora said Thursday that he’ll remain the everyday option at shortstop moving forward, via Ian Browne of MLB.com.

The 23-year-old Rafaela, who just signed an eight-year, $50M extension earlier this season, is regarded as one of the game’s top defensive outfielders but also has plenty of experience in the infield. He’s played all three positions left of first base, including 766 career frames at shortstop between the minors and the big leagues. 

Story, Vaughn Grissom and Romy Gonzalez are all on the injured list for the Sox, who’ve also tried David Hamilton and Pablo Reyes at shortstop. Rafaela will be the preferred choice moving forward.

It’s been a rough start to the season at the plate for Rafaela, a top-100 prospect who’s torn through upper-minors pitching but has yet to find much offensive success in the big leagues. 

The righty-swinging speedster hit .241/.286/.386 in 89 plate appearances during last year’s MLB debut effort and carries a dismal .171/.213/.293 slash through the same number of plate appearances thus far in 2024. Even with those struggles, Cora saw fit to give the touted young prospect a vote of confidence with Thursday’s announcement.

The health of the rest of the roster could always change the calculus, of course. The Sox currently figure to run with a primary outfield of Tyler O’Neill, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu for the foreseeable future. 

An injury to any of that trio could push Rafaela back into the outfield, at least on occasion — particularly if and when Grissom and Gonzalez heal up to replenish some infield depth.

It’s perhaps not ideal to have an elite defensive outfielder operating as the everyday shortstop in the long run, but Rafaela is regarded as a plus defensive second baseman as well and has thus far handled shortstop plenty capably. 

That versatility is part of the reason the Sox valued him enough to put forth that extension offer in the first place. Even if his long-term home is likely in center field, he can help patch things over in the infield when injuries mount as they have thus far in 2024.