What happened: Ceddanne Rafaela spent over an hour with Andruw Jones in Philadelphia during All-Star week and said he trusts Craig Breslow's front office to add pieces before the trade deadline. In the ninth inning, Aroldis Chapman became the seventh Cuban-born player to appear in an All-Star Game, breaking the previous record.
Why it matters: Rafaela's comments reflect a shift inside the Red Sox clubhouse: after a 14-2 run, talk of selling at the deadline has given way to players pushing the front office to buy. Jones, a fellow Curacaoan center fielder, said he likes what he sees in Rafaela's game and called him a future star.
By the numbers: Cuban-born players made up 25% of this year's All-Star Game field compared to 5% of all major leaguers, per the report.
What to watch: Watch Boston's activity ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, plus recovery updates on Trevor Story, Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.