The Boston Red Sox have battled significant injuries this season, especially on offense. Alex Bregman, Masataka Yoshida, Marcelo Mayer, Wilyer Abreu and Triston Casas have all missed considerable time, causing Alex Cora to tinker with his lineup on a nightly basis.
The constant roster shuffling has led to several players learning new positions or returning to old ones, including two of the team’s best players.
Despite being one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball, Ceddanne Rafaela has been playing more second base since Mayer went on the injured list with a sprained right wrist. He’s played 14 of his last 20 games there, including the last five in a row.
While Rafaela came up as an infielder and has played second base (and shortstop) before, he’s getting used to it again after spending the first half of the season in the outfield.
“The more I play, the more comfortable I get,” Rafaela told The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey. “At first, it wasn’t easy because this spring I didn’t touch an infield glove until I played second halfway through the year. But the more games I’m starting to get this year at second under my belt, it’s helping build my confidence.”
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“His instincts are off the charts,” Cora told McCaffrey. “It’s a joy watching him play defense at center, at second, at short. He’s that good.”
With Rafaela moving to second, Jarren Duran has slid back to center field, where he spent most of his first four seasons. Duran moved to left field to accommodate Rafaela last year, however, and has spent most of his time in left this season.
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The move has worked well for Duran, who was a Gold Glove finalist in center last year and prefers playing there compared to left, especially at Fenway Park.
“I’m not going to say it’s easy because nowhere is easy,” Duran said via McCaffrey. “But it’s a little easier to see the ball off the bat in center field than it is for me in a corner, especially at Fenway, where I’m the closest left field to the hitter in the league.”
At the end of the day, both players are willing to do whatever they can to help the team win, especially with Mayer still sidelined and the playoffs in sight.
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“I just play whatever they need me,” Rafaela told The Athletic. “I’m open. I really just want to win.”
