The Red Sox designated Bobby Dalbec for assignment Sunday.
The Red Sox designated Bobby Dalbec for assignment Sunday. (Katie Morrison-O'Day / MassLive)Katie Morrison-O'Day
Once Boston’s starting first baseman, Dalbec struggled to make contact and spent most of the past two seasons at Triple-A Worcester.
“If you look at the swing and miss percentages, he’s up there,” manager Alex Cora said. “He’s still a good player. Good defender. Has some pop. He’s a good athlete. So we’ll what happens in the upcoming days and then we’ll know more.”
If Dalbec clears waivers (meaning no other team claims him), the Red Sox would be able to outright him to Worcester where he would not be on the 40-man roster. He is eligible for minor league free agency this offseason if he still remains off the 40-man roster once free agency begins.
He crushed 25 homers as a rookie in 2021. Since then, he has batted just .198 with a .269 on-base percentage, .330 slugging percentage, .599 OPS, 14 homers, 13 doubles, two triples, 48 RBIs, 41 walks and 198 strikeouts in 175 games (499 plate appearances) games for Boston. The 29-year-old right-handed hitter has a 36.8% strikeout percentage in the majors, punching out 384 times in 1,044 plate appearances.
Dalbec, a 2016 fourth round pick out of Arizona, batted .255 with a .341 on-base percentage, .492 slugging percentage, .833 OPS, 19 homers, 17 doubles, one triple, 64 runs, 59 RBIs, 41 walks and 132 strikeouts in 85 games (364 plate appearances) for the WooSox this year. He appeared in 37 games for Boston this year, slashing .133/.217/.193/.410 (93 plate appearances).
Cora was asked if Dalbec could benefit from a change of scenery.
“I hate to say that, right, but it’s happened before,” Cora said. “Like I said, let’s see what happens in the upcoming days and we’ll know more.”
Boston designated Dalbec to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for right-handed starter Richard Fitts who will make his major league debut Sunday. Boston cleared a spot on the active roster for Fitts by optioning righty reliever Chase Shugart to Worcester.
The Red Sox acquired Fitts from the Yankees in the Alex Verdugo trade last offseason. The 24-year-old has a 2.38 ERA (34 innings, nine runs) over his past six starts for Worcester.
Overall, the 6-foot-3, 230-pounder is 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 24 outings (23 starts) for the WooSox. He has 111 strikeouts and 37 walks in 116 ⅔ innings. Baseball America ranks him Boston’s No. 15 prospect.
