Red Sox demote Bobby Dalbec to Triple-A Worcester ahead of season opener
BOSTON -- When the Red Sox take the field for Opening Day at Fenway Park on Thursday afternoon, Bobby Dalbec won't be with them.
That's because the team sent Dalbec to Triple-A Worcester on Monday.
Dalbec, 27, played 117 games in the majors last season, after playing 133 games in the bigs a year before, so the demotion certainly qualifies as a bit of a surprise.
At the same time, Dalbec hit just .215 with a .652 OPS last year. He does have an .813 OPS this spring, but he's hitting just .235.
With Triston Casas set to be the Red Sox' everyday first baseman, with Yu Chang out of minor league options, with Justin Turner available to fill in at first base, and with Ramiel Tapia batting .317 with a .963 OPS this spring, the 26-man roster clearly grew a bit crowded. And in part because Dalbec has minor league options remaining, he'll be the odd man out.
A fourth-round pick out of the University of Arizona in 2016, Dalbec made his MLB debut with the Red Sox in 2020, belting eight homers in 23 games. He hit 25 home runs in 2021, his first full season in the majors, but that number was cut by more than half with just 12 home runs last season.
The Red Sox open their season Thursday at 2:10 p.m. against the Orioles.
