How Red Sox Prospect Ceddanne Rafaela Performed In Triple-A Debut

When the Boston Red Sox promoted prized prospect Ceddanne Rafaela to Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, it was known it would take a few days for the walking highlight reel to showcase his talents at that level.

Worcester's schedule dictated that with back-to-back off days before a rainout pushed Rafaela's Triple-A debut further out by a day.

But with a doubleheader on Thursday against the Buffalo Bisons, it gave the 22-year-old, who is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Red Sox farm system by MLB Pipeline, plenty of opportunities to make an impact.

Rafaela led off for the WooSox in both games and went a combined 1-for-8 at the plate, but his first Triple-A hit sure was memorable. In the second game of the twin bill, Rafaela broke a scoreless deadlock in the top of the fifth by launching an opposite field solo shot. His home run had no trouble clearing the wall in right field, either.

SO LONG CEDDANNE

✅ First AAA Hit
✅ First AAA HR

WooSox take the lead thanks to Ceddanne Rafaela's 5th inning 💣 pic.twitter.com/MPyOEjR5C9

— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) June 30, 2023

It was the seventh home run of the season for the undersized 5-foot-9, 165-pound prospect, who hit six round-trippers with Double-A Portland before getting called up.

Rafaela also displayed his defensive versatility in his first games with Worcester. He played in center field for the first contest of the day and made a nice grab on a sinking liner to take away a base hit. Rafaela then got the start at shortstop in the second game.

It's just the start of Rafaela at the Triple-A level, but he definitely showed why he's an intriguing prospect with his array of skills.