Former Red Sox Bust Breaks Silence on Returning to Fenway

More than any other professional sport, MLB produces dozens of players and prospects who don't pan out for the organization that drafted them.

The same can be said for Chicago White Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec, who played the first five seasons of his career with the Boston Red Sox.

At the start of the 2020 MLB season, the 29-year-old was Boston's No. 3-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline behind Triston Casas and Jeter Downs.

Dalbec experienced many ups and downs with the Red Sox, struggled to find his defensive position stride, and was unable to duplicate his 2021 season's 25 homers and 107 OPS+.

He hit just .215 with a .652 OPS in 2022, and played a combined 58 games at the MLB level from 2023 to 2024.

The White Sox promoted Dalbec to MLB on Monday to replace the injured Chase Meidroth. It just so happened that Chicago was playing the last game of their four-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Before the game, Dalbec spoke with reporters in the dugout, including Christopher Smith of Masslive, about his views on his Red Sox tenure and his regrets.

"Great memories (here)," Dalbec told reporters on Monday, including Smith. "Some of my lifelong friends, best friends, and people I call family. So it's cool to be back and competing against them."

Dalbec expanded on his role with the Red Sox, mentioning he was unsure of his position.

"Just I didn't know what the deal was or what they wanted my role to be and all that stuff," Dalbec told Smith. "But looking back on it now, I wish I didn't think about that stuff as much as I did because it's all about playing and being ready for the game and trying to eliminate those things outta my mind which I was not very good at the last couple years.

I've worked hard at that stuff and just making it about the game and playing and (about the) teammates."

Dalbec was not in the starting lineup for the White Sox on Monday.