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BOSTON, MA - APRIL 20: Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox reaches out to hit a two-run single against the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning at Fenway Park on April 20, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

When the Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora in April, it caught a lot of people off guard. They were struggling and sitting in the basement of the American League East Division.

What made the firing even more surprising was that it came after a 17-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. You don’t see a manager fired very often, if ever, after a 16-run victory.

Boston’s Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow named Worcester Red Sox (Boston’s Triple-A affiliate) manager Chad Tracy interim manager. Slowly, the Red Sox are turning the corner under Tracy and have won five of their eight games in May after a 2-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at Fenway Park.

The win improved Boston to 17-22, just five games below .500. After the win, one young star had a bold statement about the remainder of the 2026 season for the Red Sox.

Boston Red Sox Outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela Makes Bold Statement After Win Over Tampa Bay Rays

Young Boston left-hander Connelly Early dominated the surging Rays on Friday night. He went seven innings, scattering four hits, walking one, and striking out eight. He needed 96 pitches to get through his outing and worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the top of the third inning.

Tampa Bay right-hander Jesse Scholtens nearly matched Early pitch-for-pitch, but solo home runs to Wilyer Abreu in the bottom of the third, and Ceddanne Rafaela in the bottom of the fourth inning, for the two runs the Red Sox needed to win. Yes, things are turning around for Boston, but Rafaela likes the way things are going so much that he dropped a bold prediction after the game.

“I think we’ve been playing pretty good baseball lately,” said Rafaela. “I think it shows we’re a pretty good team and we’re going to be in a pretty good spot in September.”

Being in a pretty good spot in September is certainly a bold statement. Especially for a team that has not been very good through the first six weeks of the season. Even more so, they have struggled at Fenway Park, winning just seven of 18 games. If they’re going to be in a good spot in September, improving their home record is a must.

Boston Red Sox Looking To Turn Things Around Quickly

The good news for the Red Sox is that there are three American League wild-card spots available. They are just one game back of the final spot. Sure, it’s May, but it’s never too early to look at the standings.

The first goal for Boston should be getting back to .500, then getting healthy. There are concerns with another injury, placing Roman Anthony on the injured list with a wrist injury. If the Red Sox are going to make a run, Anthony needs to be a big part of that.

Scoring two runs is not a recipe for success on a nightly basis. However, Boston made it stand up on Friday night. If they can get the pitching consistent and scratch out runs, then just maybe Rafaela’s prediction will come true in a little less than four months. However, a roster that isn’t great, well, that makes this a bold statement.