2 players the Red Sox need to call up when the roster expands, and 2 they shouldn't

On September 1, when MLB rosters expand from 26 players to 28 players, the Boston Red Sox are going to have some difficult choices to make.

Ceddane Rafaela (left) and Wilyer Abreu (right) trot in to greet their teammates after a game at Polar Park in Worcester, MA. / WooSox/Ashley Green / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Don't Call Up: Ceddane Rafaela

With this one, the Red Sox might be asking themselves why not call up the best player in your entire minor league system late in the season? I'll tell you why, and it's four words long: major league service time.

Chances are, if they call Rafaela up to the big leagues and you make the postseason, it will be after the roster expansion and he will not be eligible to play in the postseason. Therefore, Boston will have gotten Rafaela one month closer to being arbitration eligible, and that is the last thing you want when you could have him for a whole season next year, especially if Adam Duvall decides to walk in free agency.

Sure, Rafaela is havinig an excellent season down in Worcester, but another angle to look at it from is the angle of "what if you bring him up to the majors and he doesn't play the same?" That kind of a thing destroys a guy's confidence.

Chances are Rafaela breaks camp with the big club in 2024, but the last thing the Red Sox want before that happens is for him to lose his confidence.

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