BOSTON -- After three weeks gone, and three pitches into Ceddanne Rafaela’s return to action, the Red Sox were quickly reminded of what they were missing.
The elite center fielder raced to the gap in right-center and made a diving catch to take extra bases away from Guardians leadoff man Steven Kwan in Wednesday night's 1-0 win.
“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.
However, the glow didn’t last long. During his first at-bat, in the bottom of the second inning, Rafaela laced a single off the scoreboard in left.
Rafaela appeared to be moving gingerly about halfway down the line. When he got to the bag, he started stretching his right leg. After a visit from manager Chad Tracy and trainer Brandon Henry, Rafaela briefly stayed in the game.
But when he went out to warm up in center field to start the third inning, Tracy and Henry went to get him. Jarren Duran replaced Rafaela in center.
The official diagnosis? Right hamstring tightness.
Rafaela’s level of concern? Not that high.
“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.”
The Red Sox will do their due diligence to make sure their invaluable center fielder avoided significant injury.
“So everything so far is OK,” said Tracy. “They are going to get a scan/MRI tomorrow just to rule out anything, and then we'll go from there. So we'll see.”
Not only did the Sox miss Rafaela’s defense, 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 return Wednesday hitting .282 with 16 homers and 70 RBIs while stealing 17 bases.
To make room for Rafaela’s return on the roster, the Sox optioned outfielder Nate Eaton to Triple-A Worcester.
For most of the season, Rafaela has batted second. He was in the sixth spot for his return.
Rafaela had a swirl of emotions after spending the past couple of weeks building up for his return, only to have it be short-lived.
“Yeah, I was excited since yesterday, knowing I would be back on the field with the boys,” Rafaela said. “And the first touch in center field, I was happy. Made a play right there for Sonny. And then with the swing. Then with the swing, I felt a little cramp and was not happy in that moment.”
As he got ready to leave the ballpark, Rafaela tried to shake any concern aside.
“Yeah, obviously, every time I get pulled out of the game, I'm not happy,” Rafaela said. “But, hopefully it's just something [minor].”