The Red Sox announced Rafaela was dealing with a tight right hamstring. He missed the previous 17 games due to a strained right quadriceps.
On Wednesday, Rafaela made a diving catch to rob a hit from Cleveland’s first batter of the game, Steven Kwan.
In the second inning, Rafaela singled to left field but couldn’t run full speed all the way to first base. He remained in the game after a consultation with manager Chad Tracy and the team trainer, but Jarren Duran took over in center field for Boston ahead of the third inning.
Tracy said in-game on the ESPN telecast, “Just saw him continuing to flex (the leg). That’s all. He seemed to have felt some cramping in the back there. When he went back out there, he kept flexing it, so we said, let’s go ahead and make the change.”
Rafaela, 26, is hitting .284 with a .319 on-base percentage, a .444 slugging percentage, 16 homers and 70 RBIs in 136 games this year. He was an All-Star for the first time this year after winning a Gold Glove last year.
Early Wednesday, the Red Sox opened a spot for Rafaela’s return from the IL by optioning outfielder Nate Eaton to Triple-A Worcester. Eaton, 29, hit .146/.293/.250 with one home run and six RBIs in 23 games for Boston this year.
