Red Sox designate Bobby Dalbec for assignment
The Red Sox designated Bobby Dalbec for assignment on Sunday in order to free up a 40-man roster spot for right-hander Richard Fitts, who was promoted and will make his first big league start.
Dalbec spent the majority of the season with the WooSox; he has seen 37 games with the Red Sox at various points this year.
This season with Worcester, Dalbec has hit .255 with 19 homers, 17 doubles, one triple, 64 RBI, 41 walks, .341 OBP, .491 slugging percentage, and a .833 OPS (85 games).
“If you look at the swing and miss percentages, he’s up there,” said Alex Cora to reporters before the game. “He’s still a good player. Good defender. Has some pop. He’s a good athlete. So well what happens in the upcoming days and then we’ll know more.”
The former starting first baseman has struggled with strikeouts while in the Red Sox organization, including striking out 132 times in 321 at-bats for the WooSox this season.
Dalbec burst on the scene during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, bashing eight homers in 80 at-bats (23 games). He followed that up with a strong rookie season, playing in 133 games, belting 25 homers with 78 RBI with a .792 OPS.
Since his rookie season, Dalbec has hit just 14 homers, 13 doubles, two triples, 48 RBI, .599 OPS with 198 strikeouts in 175 games for Boston. He has a 36.8% strikeout percentage in the majors, punching out 384 times in 1,044 plate appearances, according to FanGraphs.
Teams will now have the option to claim Dalbec off waivers; he’s a buy low, high reward type lottery ticket for the potential acquiring team.
“I hate to say that, right, but it’s happened before,” Cora said on whether Dalbec needs a change of scenery. “Like I said, let’s see what happens in the upcoming days, and we’ll know more.”
In addition to Fitts being added to the 40-man roster, the Red Sox optioned right-handed pitcher Chase Shugart to Triple-A Worcester. Shugart, who has seen two separate stints with the Red Sox this season, has posted a 6.00 ERA in three games with six strikeouts in six innings.
