With Trevor Story out for the season and the Red Sox’ infield defense taking on water during this current homestand, rookie Ceddanne Rafaela’s time in center field is ending … for now.
Boston’s lineup card for its annual Patriots Day game on Monday morning featured Rafaela slotting in at shortstop, with Jarren Duran taking over in center field.
However, Alex Cora stressed ahead of first pitch that the primary reason for Rafaela’s reshuffle has more to do with carving out more at-bats for outfielder Wilyer Abreu — rather than shoring up Boston’s leaky defense up the middle.