Ceddanne Rafaela has been on the IL since Sept. 6 with a quad strain.
Ahead of Wednesday night’s game against the Cleveland Guardians, the Boston Red Sox have activated All-Star center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela off the injured list. The 26-year-old landed on the injured list on Sept. 6 with a right quad strain and will now look to provide a spark for a struggling Boston offense.
About Rafaela
It’s been a career year at the plate for the Gold Glove center fielder as he’s broken out in a major way offensively. In 135 games, Rafaela has hit .282/.317/.443/.760 with 16 home runs, 32 doubles, and 70 RBI en route to his first All-Star selection in his four-year career.
As a result of his breakout season and his platinum glove caliber defense in center field, Rafaela has been among the most valuable outfielders in baseball in 2026, posting an fWAR of 3.9, which ranks just outside the top 10 among all outfielders in the sport at No. 11.
Aug 31, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (3) hits a sacrifice fly to tie the game against the Seattle Mariners during the ninth inning at Fenway Park. Brian Fluharty-Imagn ImagesDespite the breakout, Rafaela saw his numbers start to dip prior to landing on the IL as he tried to play through the nagging quad injury. In 14 games prior to being placed on the injured list, he hit just .241/.262/.241/.504 with zero extra-base hits.
It’s worth noting that he was unable to get back in time to be sent on a rehab assignment before the end of the minor league season, though he has faced live pitching twice during his ramp-up process, first facing pitchers in Worcester on Saturday and then again on Tuesday, taking on Garrett Crochet during his live bullpen at Fenway Park.
To make room on the 26-man roster for Rafaela, the Red Sox optioned outfielder Nate Eaton to Triple-A.
About Eaton
Jul 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton (18) hits a grounders choice to drive in a run against the Washington Nationals in the eighth inning at Fenway Park. David Butler II-Imagn ImagesThe 29-year-old outfielder saw limited playing time after being recalled to replace the injured Rafaela on the active roster, appearing in parts of nine games, going 3-for-16 at the plate.
After a strong performance for Great Britain at the World Baseball Classic in March, Eaton has seen little action at the major league level in 2026, playing just 23 games for the Red Sox, hitting .146/.293/.250/.543.
He’ll now head down to the team’s spring training facilities in Ft. Myers to join the postseason taxi squad.
Up next for the Sox
The Red Sox will look to even up the series against the Cleveland Guardians in game two of three from Fenway Park on Wednesday night. Sonny Gray (17-5, 2.82 ERA) will get the start for Boston opposite left-hander Foster Griffin (15-5, 3.67 ERA) for Cleveland. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.
