In his first inning back from a quad injury, Ceddanne Rafaela reminded fans just how important he is to the Boston Red Sox — as if they could forget. He opened Boston's September 23 game against the Cleveland Guardians with a classic diving play, then made the other two outs to get out of the first inning easily.
But his triumphant return didn't last nearly long enough. Rafeala lifted a single to left field in his second inning at-bat and limped back to first base following the hit. He grabbed the back of his leg on the way there.
The Red Sox left him in to run the bases for the rest of the inning, which they shouldn't have done, given his recent injured status. Boston's dugout noticed something wrong as he jogged back out to play center field and decided to pull him then.
Update: Rafaela was pulled due to hamstring tightness, first reported by Ian Browne of MLB.com.
In an in-game interview with Buster Olney, Chad Tracy described Rafaela's pain as "cramping." He also appeared to reach for his hamstring rather than his previously-ailing quad. Hopefully Tracy is correct in saying he had a cramp — if he re-triggered his quad injury or hurt his hamstring, the Red Sox's postseason outfield could be shorthanded.
Ceddanne Rafaela prematurely exits first Red Sox game back from injured list with another apparent leg injury
Rafaela has been one of the Red Sox's best hitters all season and the offense has faltered in his absence (which was made even worse by Willson Contreras being out of commission at the same time). The outfielder is slashing .284/.319/.444 with 32 doubles, three triples and 16 home runs over 136 games.
He's also one of the best defenders in the game and his impact in center field is immeasurable. Rafaeka fearlessly makes diving plays in a way no other Red Sox defender can and the team feels it every time it needs to play someone else in center field.
Rafaela is also a clutch weapon. He has a feel for the big moment, which could be the difference between winning and losing a playoff game, or even the series.
The Red Sox can't afford to be without Rafaela in the postseason, especially since Contreras may not be at 100 percent health and Aroldis Chapman is dealing with a lat issue — a spectacular defensive play from Rafaela could save a game if Chapman isn't feeling right. If Rafaela isn't severely injured, the Red Sox should consider themselves lucky. If he is injured, they'll look foolish for not pulling him sooner.
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