Ceddanne Rafaela played Gold Glove caliber defense in center field for the Red Sox last season, but only played 87 games there. Reed Hoffman/Associated Press

Ceddanne Rafaela started over 70 games both in center field and at shortstop for the Boston Red Sox last season. So what are the team’s plans for him in 2025?

“I think he’s a guy that we will try to keep in center as much as possible,” said chief baseball officer Craig Breslow in a Zoom call with reporters earlier this week.

On the most basic level, that makes sense. Rafaela was the team’s best defender in center, better even that Jarren Duran. In just 87 games at the position last year, he was credited with 12 defensive runs saved. When measured in OAA (Outs Above Average), he was credited with five.

There’s little doubt that, given a full season at the position, Rafaela would be a Gold Glove contender. Plus, his throwing arm is far more powerful and accurate than Duran’s.

But here’s the problem: With Wilyer Abreu in right field, Duran available for either left or center, and top prospect Roman Anthony soon to be part of the mix, likely in left, the Red Sox outfield is largely set.

Could Rafaela platoon in right with Abreu? That might make some sense, given Abreu’s struggles against lefties last year, albeit in limited playing time (.180/.254/.279 over 61 at-bats). Of Abreu’s 15 homers, all but one came off righties.

But are the Sox comfortable with Rafaela getting just 40 or so starts — given that lefties start about one-quarter of games? That’s unlikely. While he very much needs to make better contact and be more selective at the plate — a 27.1 percent strikeout rate and a walk rate of just 2.6 percent — the Sox would be missing his elite defense and plus-speed on the bases.

One thing seems apparent, however. Breslow said this week that the Sox don’t intend to play Rafaela in the infield. With a healthy Trevor Story set to handle shortstop from the beginning, that makes sense at one position. But what about second base?

The Red Sox have no proven options at second, though they don’t lack for candidates. Vaughn Grissom is the nominal favorite, having made progress in Triple-A Worcester over the second half of the season. But Grissom, for now, is hardly a sure thing.

David Hamilton was a plus defender at the position and a dynamic base stealer (33 of 37 in stolen base attempts), but has yet to demonstrate that he can hit enough to warrant full-time status. He lacks power (.398 slugging percentage) and doesn’t get on base (.303 OBP) enough to offset the lack of extra-base pop. Yes, he could still grow offensively, but he’s not there yet

Finally, there’s Kristian Campbell, who could be part of the mix at second. It seems unlikely Campbell will earn an Opening Day roster spot in spring training. Last season, the Red Sox moved him around at both Double-A Portland and Worcester, and he started just 35 games at second.

Second base was his primary position in college, and may eventually be his logical home in the majors. But again, he’s hardly established. Given their pitching staff is one that induces a lot of contact, the Red Sox need to improve their infield defense. A year ago, they committed more infield errors than any other team and led all of MLB in unearned runs allowed.

Already, the Sox are below-average at the two corner infield spots (first and third base); shortstop is a strong point with Story, but the Sox could use some defensive certainty at second, and neither Campbell nor Grissom provide that.

So why not have Rafaela in the mix at second?

Breslow himself noted that “Ceddanne’s versatility is a huge asset. The defensive floor at multiple positions makes him a really functional piece on a roster.”

But Boston’s reasoning seems to be that they don’t want him bouncing back and forth between the infield and outfield, feeling that hindered him last year.

“I’m not sure we saw the best of him even defensively because of the fact that he was switching back and forth between center and shortstop,” said Breslow. “And so I think he’s a guy that we will try to keep in center, as much as possible.”

But an alignment of Duran in left, Rafaela in center and Abreu in right leaves no room for the Red Sox to add a another righty bat there to the lineup, or to make room for the promotion of Anthony.

If Rafaela’s positional versatility is such an asset, then perhaps the Red Sox should take full advantage of it and use it to make their roster more functional.