BOSTON -- The Red Sox had good news to report on Ceddanne Rafaela.
The center fielder did not suffer an injury on Wednesday, his first game back after missing three weeks with a right quad strain.
It turns out Rafaela just had a cramp in his right hamstring that might have stemmed from his diving catch three pitches into Boston’s 1-0 victory. In fact, he was right back in the lineup on Thursday.
The scare manifested itself when Rafaela drilled a single off the left-field scoreboard and had trouble completing his run to first base. He was able to stay in the game initially, but after he ran out to center field to start the third inning, manager Chad Tracy and trainer Brandon Henry came out to get him.
With the Red Sox already in possession of a postseason spot, they weren’t taking any risks with one of their best all-around players.
If there was any lingering concern, Tracy would not have re-inserted him into the lineup a day later.
“Yeah, he's good,” said Tracy. “Did an MRI. Everything was clean. All the scans last night were clean, did an MRI as a precaution, and subjectively, feels really good. Seems exactly what it was. The feel is that it was a cramp, probably actually precipitated by the dive.
“He tends to dive, and he does have low back-hip stuff that throws him out of line for a second. He felt it on the swing, not on the run [to first base]. And I've seen that this year four or five times where he'll take a swing and kind of dig at that spot. But based on all the information, it looks like he's in a good spot and he’ll play today.”
The Red Sox were reminded swiftly how important Rafaela is when he made that diving catch to take extra bases away from Steven Kwan to open Wednesday’s game.
“At the beginning of the game, I think I said, ‘Rafa, that was a game-changing catch, first batter of the game,’” said winning pitcher Sonny Gray.
“Not even close,” said Rafaela, when asked to compare it to the right quadriceps strain that kept him out from Sept. 3 until Wednesday night.
“I think it was just a cramp. Maybe I wasn’t hydrated enough. And I got that cramp right there and just didn't want to risk it for the double. And then, obviously, it’s just Trace just trying to protect me, with big things in front of us. And so I think it's just that.”
Not only did the Sox miss Rafaela’s defense during his time on the IL, but his bat has been missed in a lineup that has slumped of late.
In by far the best of his three full career seasons offensively, Rafaela came into his Thursday action hitting .284 with 16 homers and 70 RBIs while stealing 17 bases.