Ceddanne Rafaela Player Props: July 12, Red Sox vs. Rays
Find odds, stats, and more below to make your Ceddanne Rafaela player prop bets.
Rafaela paces the Red Sox with a team-high batting average of .271. He has 13 home runs and 46 RBI. Rafaela enters this game on an eight-game hitting streak. In his last outings he is hitting .405 with seven doubles, four home runs, two walks and 13 RBIs.
Watch tonight's Red Sox game on Fubo!
Ceddanne Rafaela Prop Bets and Odds
How to Watch Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Ceddanne Rafaela vs. Shane Baz
Ceddanne Rafaela prop bet insights
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 1:26 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
Ceddanne Rafaela stats against the Rays
Rays starter: Shane Baz
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Red Sox finally draft a pitcher in the first round, grabbing Kyson Witherspoon at No. 15
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Advertisement Witherspoon is the first pitcher selected by the Sox in the first round since Tanner Houck in 2017, and represents the their highest selection of a college pitcher since 1988, when they took college lefty Tom Fischer with the No. 12 overall pick. It's the earliest the Red Sox have taken a college righthander, a mark previously held by a pair who went No. 19 overall: Roger Clemens (1983) and Matt Barnes (2011). Advertisement This marks the fourth time the Red Sox have had the No. 15 pick. Previously, they used that position to select Hall of Famer Jim Rice (1971) and two players (first baseman Otis Foster in 1975, pitcher Andy Yount in 1995) who never reached the big leagues. Rice, Chase Utley (2000), and New Hampshire native Chris Carpenter — who went on to win the 2005 NL Cy Young Award — represent some of the best picks at this spot. The Red Sox have three picks remaining on Day 1, No. 33 (acquired from the Brewers this year for Quinn Priester) in the Competitive Balance round that falls between the first and second rounds, No. 75 (compensation for the free agent departure of starter Nick Pivetta) at the end of the second round, and No. 87 in the third round. The draft began with a surprise and then a shock, as Oklahoma high school shortstop Eli Willits went to the Nationals with the No. 1 overall pick, followed by UC Santa Barbara righthander Tyler Bremner — who seemed like he had a longshot chance to be on the board for the Red Sox — going to the Angels at No. 2. Alex Speier can be reached at
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Amid Red Sox uncertainty, Tanner Houck wants to remain a starting pitcher
His minor league rehab assignment is set to expire before the Red Sox resume their season Friday. So if he indeed is healthy and ready to return, team decision-makers must figure out what to do with him: Put him back in the rotation, put him in the bullpen, or send him to the minors. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'There's a lot of things on the table,' manager Alex Cora said when asked specifically about the bullpen option. 'We'll decide that when we have to do.' Advertisement Barring a move to a six-man rotation, there seems not to be an opening. Cora said the Red Sox plan to use Richard Fitts to replace Hunter Dobbins (torn ACL). Related : Houck has some experience as a reliever, none since 2022. He had a 2.70 ERA and 1.13 WHIP (and eight saves) in 28 relief appearances that year. And then there is the Triple A alternative. Houck has options remaining, so the Sox can exercise that flexibility if they want. Advertisement Before being sidelined, Houck struggled, posting an 8.04 ERA in nine starts. That was a major drop-off from his All-Star first half in 2024. 'A year ago, obviously going to Texas last year was an incredible honor to represent this team,' Houck said. 'A year before that, I was recovering from getting hit in the face [by a line drive while pitching]. Kind of a whirlwind of a three-year span, but ultimately, the goal is to get back to the form that I know I can and compete at the highest level again.' Cora mentioned in passing recently that Houck had been having trouble recovering from his rehab starts. Houck downplayed that concern. 'Up until probably this last one, I was not quite bouncing back like I know the way the body could,' he said. 'After this last time around, it's feeling a lot better, feeling stronger. That's all you can ask for coming back from something like that. Being an arm problem, you never want to push the envelope too quickly and have a setback.' A Giolito contract check A subplot to Lucas Giolito's season: If he totals at least 140 innings, the $14 million club option that the Red Sox hold on him for 2026 transforms into a $19 million mutual option. That means he can become a free agent instead — and, if he keeps pitching like he has lately, cash in. Through 13 starts, Giolito has tossed 72⅓ innings. He is on pace for 13 more outings. If Lucas Giolito reaches 140 innings this season, his club option for next year becomes a mutual option. Barry Chin/Globe Staff So if he maintains his season average the rest of the way, he would hit 140 in pretty much his final game of the season. Advertisement 'I don't think it's healthy to think about, 'Oh, I need to throw X amount of innings,' ' he said. 'It's just however it goes. Every time I take the ball, I want to go as deep as possible [regardless of contract status]. That's pretty much it.' This is a conversation only because he missed the first month of the season because of a leg injury. Otherwise, he could be coasting to the open market. 'Stupid hamstring,' Giolito said. All-Star talk In reminiscing about the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park — featuring one of Ted Williams's final public appearances — Cora lamented the modern state of the Midsummer Classic. Ted Williams is greeted by the Orioles' Cal Ripken Jr. after Williams threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the start of the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park. DAVIS, Jim Globe Staff As of Sunday afternoon, per the most recent rosters available from MLB, 81 players had been named All-Stars. That included 16 who were chosen as replacements for those who dropped out. 'We have to do a better job to get the best of the best out there,' Cora said, suggesting pushing the exhibition to Wednesday or making the All-Star break longer so players could rest more. 'There's too many All-Stars.' Of the Red Sox' three All-Stars, two won't play. Garrett Crochet declined because of his heavy workload (including a complete game Saturday) and Alex Bregman passed because he is only two games into his return from a strained right quad. They both still will physically be in Atlanta for at least some of the goings-on, joining Aroldis Chapman . Swapping Sox The Red Sox traded catcher Blake Sabol to the White Sox for cash. Joey Cora , then a White Sox coach, looked at Alex, looked at a plane flying over the stadium, and said: 'There goes your flight.' Chicago won, 6-5, on Tadahito Iguchi's single off Rudy Seánez . . . Trevor Story is the first Red Sox player to be successful in his first 16 steal attempts since Jacoby Ellsbury in 2008 . . . Roman Anthony , 21, is the youngest Red Sox player with a hit streak of at least nine games since Tony Conigliaro in 1965. Advertisement Tim Healey can be reached at
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Boston Red Sox first-round pick Kyson Witherspoon ready to chart his own path in pro ball
The Boston Red Sox's newest first-round pick, Oklahoma right-hander Kyson Witherspoon, was so far off the draft radar coming out of high school that he attended the 2022 MLB Draft Combine as a spectator in support of his twin brother, Malachi, rather than as a participant. Malachi would go in the 12th round in the 2022 draft, but Kyson went undrafted. Malachi turned down an offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks and joined Kyson at Northwest Florida State College for the 2023 season. Three years and a transfer to the Oklahoma program later, both brothers are draft prospects and Kyson has emerged as one of the top players in this year's class. And this time around, he was asked to perform in last month's Draft Combine. The Athletic's Keith Law ranked Witherspoon as the ninth-best prospect and the top right-handed pitcher. Advertisement The road to being a first-round pick began for Kyson in junior college, where he added strength and his velocity ticked up. Both he and his brother caught the attention of the Oklahoma program, and they spent the past two years as key members of the Sooners' pitching staff. Kyson Witherspoon had a solid sophomore season for OU, posting a 3.71 ERA and a 90:40 K:BB in 80 innings, but he took a big step forward as a junior. In 95 innings, he had a 2.65 ERA and a 124:23 K:BB. In early April, Witherspoon matched up against LSU ace Kade Anderson in a prime regular season showdown that drew scouts in from all over the country. He went toe-to-toe with the No. 3 pick in this year's draft, allowing two runs in six innings to the eventual NCAA champions. It was a high-pressure environment, but he didn't let it bother him. 'I try not to really put that on myself, and just try to have faith in the work I put in,' Witherspoon said of pitching in front of scouts. Witherspoon never walked more than three batters in any start this season and was generally efficient with his pitch count. In two years with the Sooners, Witherspoon continued to gain velocity — he topped out at 99 mph this season — while also smoothing out his mechanics and significantly improving his command and his changeup, a pitch Law gave a 55 grade. He cut his walk rate significantly from last season, a big reason behind his improved overall numbers. This season, he threw at least five innings in all but two of his 15 starts and threw at least seven innings in five starts. He credits the improvement to his work with Oklahoma head coach Skip Johnson on his mindset and changes he made to his mechanics. A shortstop in high school, Witherspoon admits it took him a while to commit to the idea of being a full-time pitcher. He was a two-way player in junior college but he was having trouble keeping on weight trying to handle both roles and knew he needed to choose one or the other. He had touched 95 mph in a scrimmage so he wasn't surprised when his coaches pointed him toward the mound when he asked whether they thought pitching or playing shortstop was best for his future. Still, it was a bit of a mental hurdle to let go of his dream of playing shortstop. Advertisement 'One door closed and one door opened,' he said at the Combine site, Chase Field, in June. There are echoes of his days as a shortstop in his pitching mechanics, with his shorter arm stroke somewhat reminiscent of a shortstop's throwing motion. He's made tweaks to his motion over the past year, working to be more fluid. 'Last year, I was a bit more wild with my lower half. I'd fall off really hard to my glove side,' he said. 'So really trying to stay stacked, just kick over, be in an athletic position so I can catch a play. It really just translates to me being in more control. And then definitely trying to keep both my eyes on the glove. Just go to the glove, execute a pitch, and simplifying it as much as I can.' His vision was something else that changed this season. Witherspoon used to wear goggles when he pitched, but when he switched from weekly to daily contact lenses this season, he didn't need the on-field specs anymore. His teammates wanted him to revive the goggles for a start, but with a four-seam and two-seam fastball, two breaking balls and an above-average changeup, Witherspoon doesn't need any accessories to be intimidating to hitters. He can throw all five of his pitches in any count but he says if he's looking for a swing and miss, the curveball is his best put-away pitch against both righties and lefties. He likes using the cutter because he knows hitters have to be ready for his upper-90s fastball and the cutter comes out of his hand looking like the fastball but with different movement and velocity. Witherspoon didn't grow up with a favorite team but he points to fellow Florida native Jacob deGrom as his favorite pitcher to watch. He also named hard-throwing relievers Mason Miller and Aroldis Chapman as pitchers he watches closely. Although he's a starter, he likes the aggressive mindset used by elite relievers. Advertisement 'I'm just trying to compete in the zone, keep the pitch count low so I can go as far as I can into games,' he said. 'And that mindset also helps me just carry my velo as far as I can.' Though Witherspoon has emerged as the higher-rated prospect, his twin brother is expected to hear his name called in the top 10 rounds. Malachi's command isn't as sharp as his brother's, but he also has a plus fastball that has touched triple digits and an above-average slider, a combination that profiles well as a reliever at the next level. Whether the brothers continue to develop as teammates or in separate organizations remains to be seen. Kyson says having his brother as a teammate throughout his life has made him a better pitcher. 'Now that we're both here, it's just a testament to how hard we worked,' he said. Kyson Witherspoon credits his mom, Meg, for instilling the work ethic in him and his brother that has allowed them to reach this point in their baseball careers. 'She's by far the most influential person I know,' he said. 'She's the one that taught me how to work hard, and the way that she's put me, my brother, and even the rest of my family above her, it's just really inspiring. That's all I do it for really. Baseball would be the best job in the world I think, but it's all really for my mom.' With both brothers on the same team, Meg hasn't had to wear a split jersey yet like the moms of some other famous athlete brothers. But she did have No. 25 and No. 26 Oklahoma jerseys and earrings that she'd wear to match which brother was starting that day. Depending on where Malachi ends up in the draft, Meg might be faced with the tough decision of having to split her attention between two different teams to watch her sons for the first time. 'She's going to have to watch one of us start and then watch the other guy on TV and the next time, we're just going to take turns. We'll have to figure it out,' Witherspoon said. Advertisement Though it will be an adjustment if he isn't teammates with his brother in professional baseball, Witherspoon is ready for his next step. 'I feel like it's really just like another door opening,' he said. 'I'm just trying to be me, just becoming more of an individual, in a sense. Really trying to build my own story. It'll be a change, for sure, but something I'm excited to do.'
