The Red Sox are committing to another one of their youngest, newest homegrown rising stars.

A source confirms that the Sox are in agreement with Ceddanne Rafaela on a pre-arbitration extension (pending a physical).

The news, first reported by MassLive, comes less than 24 hours before the home opener at Fenway Park. It’s the club’s second pre-arb deal since the beginning of March, when they inked Brayan Bello to a six-year, $55 million extension, which buys out the remainder of the right-hander’s club control as well as at least one additional year. (There’s a club option for a seventh season.)

Within the organization and around the game, the 23-year-old infielder-turned-outfielder has long been considered a perennial Gold Glove outfielder in the making. He made the Opening Day roster as the club’s starting center fielder and immediately began showing off his elite defensive talent and improved plate discipline. Rafaela also offers the Sox defensive depth at second base and shortstop. He’s likely to spend more time in the infield with Trevor Story injured but Craig Breslow wasn’t prepared to “commit to anything yet” when asked about a position change on Monday.

The terms of Rafaela’s deal are not yet known, but using Bello’s contract as a model, it’s likely he’ll sign through the 2030 season at the earliest, as he wasn’t on target to reach free agency until after the ’29 season. The extension could be in line with Colt Keith’s six-year, $28.64 million contract (with a three-year club option), which the infielder signed before making his big-league debut on Detroit Tigers Opening Day, or closer to the pre-debut deals the Chicago White Sox gave outfielders Eloy Jiménez (six years, $43 million) and Luis Robert (six years, $50 million) in March 2019 and January 2020, respectively.

Regardless of the numbers, it’s already one of the most significant transactions by the club in the last decade. After the way Mookie Betts’ and Xander Bogaerts’ respective departures played out, the Red Sox made it clear that they intended to be more aggressive about extending players earlier, following in the footsteps of the Atlanta Braves, a perennial contender built on homegrown talent. Before they extended Garrett Whitlock two Aprils ago, the Sox hadn’t inked a single pre-arb player since 2011. And unlike Bello, who’s in his second full year in the Majors, Rafaela is still a rookie; he only has 38 career big-league games under his belt, including the first 10 of this season. (He debuted last Aug. 28, but his rookie eligibility remained intact for 2024.)

The Sox have also been in talks with several other players, including Triston Casas and Tanner Houck, but there’s been little progress.

This story will be updated.