When the Red Sox opened camp last month, manager Alex Cora said rookie Ceddanne Rafaela would have the opportunity to compete for the starting center field job, and that whether or not he earned the role would dictate everything else the club did finalizing its roster.

With each passing day, it’s looking more and more likely Rafaela might be able to pull it off.

Ceddanne Rafaela has enjoyed a terrific showing this spring, and over the past week we’ve seen growing indicators he could be playing his way into the starting lineup. Last weekend he traveled to the Dominican Republic and started both games in Santo Domingo at center field, and then on Tuesday he was in the lineup again alongside all of the club’s other projected Opening Day starters.

More interestingly, Rafaela got the nod in center while Jarren Duran moved over to left field, and Tyler O’Neill, who had exclusively played left since joining the Red Sox, bumped over to right.

Could that wind up being the club’s outfield alignment come Opening Day on March 28?

Despite only being 23, Rafaela has already demonstrated that his defense and baserunning abilities are MLB-ready, and the big question has been his ability to consistently handle big league pitching. While it’s tough to draw too many conclusions from a small sample of spring training games, Rafaela’s .900 OPS is highly encouraging, and Tuesday he whacked his third home run of the spring during the club’s game against St. Louis.

“He’s playing well, man,” Cora told reporters on Monday, as transcribed by Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. “Controlling the strike zone, too. He’s been doing a good job.”

The fact Cora felt compelled to start O’Neill in right — he previously said O’Neill would get all his work in left to help learn how to play the Green Monster — is the strongest sign yet that Rafaela is playing himself onto the Opening Day roster. But it also illustrates the domino-effect Rafaela’s ascension would have, as the Red Sox would suddenly have some other difficult decisions to make.

First, what would it mean for fellow rookie Wilyer Abreu? The 24-year-old impressed in his late-season call-up last fall and is believed to be the favorite to begin the season as Boston’s starting right fielder. Red Sox chairman Tom Werner mentioned earlier this winter that he’s excited to see Abreu get 400 at bats, but if Rafaela wins the center field job, it might force Abreu into a platoon with O’Neill. Or he could wind up getting bumped down to Triple-A entirely.

Rafaela’s ascension could also have ramifications for Rob Refsnyder. The veteran has been an essential right-handed bat off the bench and a valuable clubhouse presence these past two years, but with both Rafaela and O’Neill in the picture his skills as a lefty-killer could become redundant.

Or, if the Red Sox really like Abreu and decide O’Neill is a viable option as a leadoff hitter, they could also trade Duran. Doing so would allow them to maximize his value while allowing the club to roll with an O’Neill-Rafaela-Abreu alignment, with Masataka Yoshida remaining the primary designated hitter.

No matter what happens, Rafaela is making sure the Red Sox have a difficult decision to make when it comes time to set the Opening Day roster. If he keeps up his current pace, it’ll be hard for Cora to justify leaving him off.

Who’s up next?

Nick Pivetta is scheduled to start Wednesday’s road game against the New York Yankees in Tampa, and he’ll be followed out of the bullpen by Greg Weissert, Cam Booser, Justin Hagenman and Joely Rodriguez. Former All-Star Carlos Rodon is slated to start for the Yankees.

Fenway to host ALS Awareness Game

This week the Red Sox announced the return of Boston College’s annual ALS Awareness Game to Fenway Park, which will take place on Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. when the Eagles face the University of Virginia. The game has been played annually in honor of the late BC baseball captain Pete Frates since his ALS diagnosis in 2012, and this year marks the fifth time it will be played at Fenway Park. General admission tickets are $15 and can be purchased at redsox.com/alsgame, and the game will also be televised on the ACC Network.