The Red Sox got a scare Wednesday night, but Ceddanne Rafaela is back in the mix.
Rafaela left Boston’s 1-0 win over Cleveland with right hamstring tightness, a worrying moment in a game that otherwise helped the Red Sox keep moving toward October baseball. By Thursday, though, the concern had eased enough for manager Chad Tracy to keep him in the lineup for the 6:45 p.m. ET game at Fenway Park.
Jarren Duran was also slotted in, taking Roman Anthony’s spot in the starting nine. The Red Sox announced their lineup ahead of the series matchup with the Guardians, who are in a must-win stretch of their own as they battle the Chicago White Sox for the top of the AL Central and a Wild Card position.
Boston’s order against right-hander Daniel Espino looked like this:
Nick Sogard, 1B
Mickey Gasper, DH
Adley Rutschman, C
Wilyer Abreu, RF
Caleb Durbin, 3B
Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
Jarren Duran, LF
Trevor Story, SS
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 2B
Ranger Suarez gets the start for Boston, with Espino on the other side.
There are a couple of details worth watching in the lineup. Rafaela’s availability is the big one after the hamstring issue, and Sogard moving into the leadoff role is another wrinkle to track.
Suarez enters the game trying to stack a fourth straight win. In his last outing against the Rays, he worked 5.2 innings, struck out five, and improved to 8-4. Espino, meanwhile, pitched one inning against the Athletics on September 18 and was tagged for three earned runs.
Rafaela did manage to record a hit before exiting Wednesday’s game.
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