Red Sox Confirm Youth Movement With Latest Roster Shakeup

The Boston Red Sox aren’t done getting a close look at Ceddanne Rafaela, as they chose to keep the highly-rated prospect around entering September.

The Red Sox announced a pair of roster moves Thursday, reinstating outfielder Wilyer Abreu from the paternity list and optioning infielder David Hamilton to Triple-A Worcester to make room.

It was initially expected that Boston would return Rafaela to the WooSox once Abreu was ready to make his return, but a combination of factors came into play. The easiest to explain comes from the fact that Rafaela is expected to be a contributor, with the 22-year-old providing elite defense at both shortstop and in the outfield. The Red Sox were not getting that from Hamilton, who made a poor throw Wednesday that cost Boston a run.

Rafaela has also provided a bit of pop in limited time on the field, going 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI in two games.

The return of Abreu will be an interesting one, as the 24-year-old was tearing the cover off the ball before initially being called to Boston. In five games with the Red Sox, he went 5-for-17 with one home run and five RBIs. He played perfect defense in center field, as well, helping Adam Duvall make up for the loss of Jarren Duran.

Hamilton’s return to Worcester caps off another disappointing stint in Boston, where he has more errors (two) than RBIs (zero).

Enmanuel Valdez and Brandon Walter will reportedly also join Boston, serving as the organization’s two September call ups. Katie Morrison-O’Day of MassLive was first to report, with Christopher Smith of MassLive confirming.

The Red Sox entered Thursday on the outside of the American League wild-card race, sitting 6 1/2 games back. Boston will open a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals on Friday, with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET following an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.