What's behind Rafaela's turnaround at plate?

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne's Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TORONTO -- After an off-day on Thursday, the Red Sox get back into action on Friday for what is projected to be a blazing-hot weekend in Cincinnati.

And that will be fitting for rookie Ceddanne Rafaela, who is on quite the heater himself.

The right-handed hitter, who was having a hard time with swing decisions and making consistent contact the first couple of months of the season, has found his stroke. Rafaela will arrive in Cincinnati as his team’s hottest hitter.

While the behind-the-scenes work that led to Rafaela’s turnaround has been weeks in the making, the results started showing up against the White Sox in Chicago on June 6, when he went 4-for-6 with four RBIs.

That started a stretch in which Rafaela has gone 22-for-47 with a batting line of .468/.490/.596. In that span, he’s raised his batting average from .202 to .251.

What has led to the turnaround?

“I think he’s quieted down some of the moves, but ultimately his strength is hitting the ball to right-center,” said Red Sox hitting coach Pete Fatse. “He stays inside the ball with the best of them. And I think the more comfortable he is doing that, the more comfortable he’s seeing the ball and you’re seeing the takes. You’re seeing him feel more comfortable hitting with a strike on him, just because he knows that he can shoot the ball the other way.”

Rafaela has also lowered his hands, giving him an instant longer to make his swing decision.

The easiest way to put it is that Rafaela was out of sorts mechanically early in the season as he tried to adjust to Major League pitching.

“Early on, you could really see his hands kind of pull behind his body to get his body turned. And then he would almost kind of crash forward,” said Fatse. “The upper and lower halves weren't working great together. I think now he's found a way to synchronize those two things, whether [his hands] are specifically lower or not, I think it’s more about syncing up the movements.”

The Red Sox showed their faith in Rafaela during his early-season slump when they signed him to an eight-year, $50 million contract.

“When you make an eight-year commitment to someone, obviously you want immediate returns. But you also have to take the long view here and just look for incremental progress at every step. I think we’re seeing that,” said Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. “We’re aware of the offensive upside, but also the defensive floor that is really encouraging when it relates to thinking about a contract like this. And then if he can continue to evolve on the offensive side, we’ve got a really, really exciting player on our hands.”

Lately, Boston’s decision-makers are seeing some of the offensive growth they projected.

“There are a number of people who have contributed to the progress that he's made so far. It starts with him and his willingness to work and to be responsive to the opportunities the coaching staff and others have put in front of him,” said Breslow. “He’s such a raw, athletic kid that he’s going to figure out a way. I think there’s a track record here of figuring out a way to thrive in increasingly challenging environments, and I think that’s what you’re seeing here.”

The recent upside Rafaela has shown at the plate is what the Red Sox envisioned when they signed the contract with the wiry hitter from Curaçao.

“He's got great hands,” said Fatse. “I think a lot of it is just getting used to the league and slowing it down enough to where he can be himself. He can hit. It’s just, ‘How do we put you in position to do that?’ And I think as much as it's about the swing and all that stuff, it's just understanding and trusting count leverage.”

Rafaela, according to Fatse, has supreme confidence in himself.

“He believes he's the best player on the field every day,” said Fatse. “So I think that's a really important attribute to have, especially as a young guy.”

The Red Sox have equal confidence in their No. 9 hitter.

“He’s going to be good. He is good,” said Fatse. “He’s going to be good for this team for a long time.”