The Boston Red Sox would absolutely love it if the July version of Ceddanne Rafaela would show up for them in their moment of need.

Rafaela was the Red Sox’s best and most clutch hitter not only during their 10-game winning streak, but arguably for the entire middle third of the season. Since the All-Star break, however, he’s slashing an ugly .186/.234/.270 in 52 games, making him the worst qualified hitter in the majors in terms of OPS.

With Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu injured, Rafaela hasn’t stepped up to carry the freight offensively. He’s chasing everything (an unfortunate habit), striking out in situations where a ball in play would score a run, and barely missing the rare mistake pitches the opposition gives him.

Sep 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It’s certainly not the first time Red Sox manager Alex Cora has seen Rafaela struggle, as the 24-year-old has been one of the league’s streakiest players since his debut at the end of 2023.

But the manager has some specific advice to help Rafaela get out of his current funk, and it involves channeling a player who was a far better hitter than Cora was during his Red Sox days: the legendary Manny Ramirez.

“He’s been missing his pitches,” Cora said of Rafaela on Sunday, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. “I talked to him yesterday. I said, ‘Hey man, try to be ready early, even if you feel uncomfortable, like, give yourself time to see the ball.’ And that’s something Manny (Ramirez) always talked about it. Manny always mentioned that if you don’t see the ball, you’re not gonna hit it.”

Ramirez was an incredibly disciplined hitter, walking 13.5% of the time in his career and striking out only 18.5%. Rafaela probably will never reach those figures, but the Red Sox would certainly like to see his 3.7% career walk rate continue to rise and his 23.9% strikeout rate drop just a tad.

Most of all, the Red Sox just want to see the competitive fire in Rafaela’s at-bats reemerge. When he stepped to the plate during that winning streak, it was obvious he thought there was no pitcher on earth that could slip a ball past him.

For Boston to secure its playoff spot, Rafaela is going to need a couple more at-bats like this one:

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