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Red Sox Coaches Growing Frustrated With Young Player

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated May 15, 2025 6:15 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox have played decent baseball to start the season, but there has been some drama throughout the organization. Whether it be Rafael Devers or other situations, the Red Sox likely want to be in a better spot at this point in the year.

According to a recent report, too, the Red Sox are dealing with some internal frustration with Ceddanne Rafaela, with reports indicating from Sean McAdam of Mass Live that the team is starting to get frustrated by his lack of listening to coaches’ demands.

“There’s some growing frustration within the Red Sox organization about outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela. More than once, Rafaela has been advised in the dugout to take the first pitch in his next at-bat, only to swing freely minutes later. Rafaela showed in spring training that he could be more selective at the plate, but that discipline has mostly disappeared in the regular season,” he wrote.

If Rafaela doesn't turn things around, the Red Sox don't have much of a reason to continue to play him, especially if he isn’t listening. His offense has been brutal for much of his big league career, posting a .245 career batting average in over 750 at-bats. His career 84 OPS+ doesn't leave much to write home about, either.

Ultimately, this falls on the coaching staff. If Rafaela is being told to do something and he isn't listening, they have to do what it takes to stop him.

While this rumor has been debunked by some, it'll be interesting to see how it continues to play out over the next few months.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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