Red Sox use an old school method to help Ceddanne Rafaela: Coming into Sunday’s game against the Twins, Ceddanne Rafaela was hitting just .198 with a .571 OPS so far in the 2024 season. Beyond his own struggles, Boston as a team had gone over 200 at-bats without hitting a home run (reaching all the way back to April 27, when Rafaela himself hit one out against the Cubs).
To help Rafaela, 23, break out, Red Sox hitting coach Pete Fatse took a page from an older era of baseball. He had Rafaela play some pepper.