Red Sox CF Ceddanne Rafaela leaves game in 3rd inning on same day he comes off injured list

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, who came off the injured list on Wednesday, left the game against the Cleveland Guardians in the third inning after pulling up while running out a single in the second.

Rafaela, who started and made a diving catch on the game’s first batter, had been sidelined since Sept. 3 with a right quad strain.

The team announced that he left with right hamstring tightness.

He singled off the Green Monster in the second inning and came up lame at first base. He was visited by manager Chad Tracy and a trainer, jogged a bit down the right-field foul line and stayed in the game.

He then trotted out to his position for the top of the third, but came walking off. He was replaced by Jarren Duran.

“He had like a little tightness in the upper hamstring, more on the swing,” Tracy said after their 1-0 victory over the Guardians. “I still saw him kind of flexing it a little bit (when he was heading to center), so I said ‘Let’s get him out of there.’ Everything so far is OK, they are going to get an MRI (Thursday) just to rule out anything.”

Rafaela, who won his first Gold Glove last season, made a headlong dive to rob Steve Kwan in right center on the third pitch of the game. He handled all three putouts the first inning.

“I was excited since (Tuesday) to be back on the field with the boys, then with the swing I felt a little bit of a cramp,” he said. “I was not happy.”

He said he still felt it a bit when he went to center.

“The sensation was there, it was just a cramp,” he said. “After that, I got in (the clubhouse) and did what I needed to do, and right now I feel much better.”

He was batting .284 with 16 homers and 70 RBIs coming into Wednesday’s game.

To make room for him, the club optioned INF/OF Nate Eaton to Triple-A Worcester.

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