After the Boston Red Sox designated Bobby Dalbec for assignment on Sunday, the Red Sox infielder has cleared waivers. The team assigned him to Triple-A Worcester on Monday.
A fourth-round pick out of Arizona in 2016, Dalbec first reached the Major Leagues in 2020. Though he burst onto the scene with eight home runs in his first 23 career games that year, he never quite hit the level the organization had hoped. His best season came the next year when he hit .240 with 25 home runs and a .792 OPS. Since then, however, his performance at the plate has cratered. This season, he played 37 games, hitting for a .133 average with 43 strikeouts in 83 at bats.
Dalbec made the Red Sox' 2024 Opening Day roster, but had not played for the big league club since June 21. Over the past couple seasons, he became the prototypical Quadruple-A player: someone who posts above average number in Triple-A but who can never quite make it work in the majors.
The move to DFA Dalbec removed him from the team's 40-man roster, meaning he can elect free agency at the end of the season provided Boston does not re-add him between now and then. Had the Red Sox not designated him last week, he would have been arbitration eligible this offseason and it's hard to see the organization wanted to cough up much more for a player who has failed to show meaningful production.
Alex Cora's blunt assessment of Bobby Dalbec's Red Sox future
By waiving Dalbec, the Red Sox gave all 29 other teams the chance to claim him. None did. But for a moment, it seemed like it could be the end of the infielder's tenure in the Red Sox organization. Boston manager Alex Cora spoke about that possibility last week and admitted it might be time for the two to part ways.
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“I hate to say that, right, but it's happened before,” Cora told reporters, according to MassLive's Christopher Smith. “Like I said, let's see what happens in the upcoming days and we'll know more.”
With the Red Sox fighting an uphill battle for the postseason, they'll move forward for now by carrying seven infielders on their roster. That includes Trevor Story, whom the team activated from the 60-day IL last week. He's 3-11 with a run scored since then, getting the start at shortstop each of the last three games.
Boston enters play on Tuesday three games out of the final American League Wild Card spot. They are currently hosting the second-place Baltimore Orioles.
