ST. LOUIS (DA) — Boston Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela is among three finalists for the American League’s 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove Award at his position, Rawlings announced Wednesday.
Rafaela is in contention alongside Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians and Evan Carter of the Texas Rangers. The awards recognize individual defensive performances at each position in both leagues.
Winners will be announced Nov. 1 during a special one-hour edition of ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight,” beginning at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
Rafaela is one of three Boston finalists. Third baseman Caleb Durbin and right fielder Wilyer Abreu also made the shortlist at their positions.
For the nine traditional defensive positions in each league, managers and up to six coaches per team vote on eligible players within their league. They cannot select players from their own club.
Those ballots carry most of the weight, with the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Defensive Index accounting for approximately 25% of the selection total. Utility winners are chosen through a separate process using a specialized defensive formula and additional statistics.
The Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs led their respective leagues with five finalists each. The field includes 22 previous Gold Glove winners — nine in the AL and 13 in the National League.
Following the announcement of the Gold Glove winners, voting will open for the Platinum Glove Award, which recognizes one defensive player in each league. The selections combine a national fan vote with the SABR Defensive Index.
Fans can vote at Rawlings’ website from 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 1 through 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 5. The Platinum Glove winners will be unveiled Nov. 6 at the Gold Glove Award ceremony in New York City.
American League finalists
- Pitcher: José Soriano, Toronto Blue Jays; Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers; Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians.
- Catcher: Brandon Valenzuela, Toronto Blue Jays; Austin Wells, New York Yankees; Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers.
- First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays; Christian Walker, Houston Astros; Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals.
- Second base: Michael Massey, Kansas City Royals; Chase Meidroth, Chicago White Sox; Cole Young, Seattle Mariners.
- Third base: Nick Loftin, Kansas City Royals; Brooks Lee, Minnesota Twins; Caleb Durbin, Boston Red Sox.
- Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals; Andrés Giménez, Toronto Blue Jays; Taylor Walls, Tampa Bay Rays.
- Left field: Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees; Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers; Chandler Simpson, Tampa Bay Rays.
- Center field: Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians; Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox; Evan Carter, Texas Rangers.
- Right field: Nathan Lukes, Toronto Blue Jays; Cam Smith, Houston Astros; Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox.
- Utility: Zach McKinstry, Detroit Tigers; Ezequiel Duran, Texas Rangers; José Caballero, New York Yankees.
National League finalists
- Pitcher: Nolan McLean, New York Mets; Michael McGreevy, St. Louis Cardinals; Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves.
- Catcher: Freddy Fermin, San Diego Padres; Luis Torrens, New York Mets; Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks.
- First base: Ty France, San Diego Padres; Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves; TJ Rumfield, Colorado Rockies.
- Second base: JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals; Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers; Brandon Lowe, Pittsburgh Pirates.
- Third base: Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers; Alex Bregman, Chicago Cubs; Javier Sanoja, Miami Marlins.
- Shortstop: Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals; Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs; Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks.
- Left field: Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs; Daylen Lile, Washington Nationals; Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers.
- Center field: Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers; Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs; Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves.
- Right field: Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks; Carson Benge, New York Mets; Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs.
- Utility: Ildemaro Vargas, Arizona Diamondbacks; Mauricio Dubón, Atlanta Braves; Jared Triolo, Pittsburgh Pirates.