After the Boston Red Sox took two out of three from a faltering Kansas City squad, the Royals picked up a former Red Sox slugger who was once a 2021 Rookie of the Year candidate.
Bobby Dalbec recently opted out of his contract with the Milwaukee Brewers after being stuck with their Triple-A affiliate, the Nashville Sounds. Since being designated for assignment by Boston in September 2024, Dalbec has bounced around the league, mostly in Triple-A, with brief appearances for the White Sox earlier this season.
Dalbec was a fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft for the Red Sox and quickly rose to the top of a weak, Dave Dombrowski-bred farm system.
He is the epitome of three true outcomes. Thirty-seven percent of his career at-bats end in strikeouts, but 4.4 percent are hit outside the park, well above the league average of 3.1 percent. In 2021, he hit 25 home runs and looked like the future at first base in Fenway.
Dalbec’s fate in Boston shifted quickly as the power dried up. His confidence at the plate and in the field faded. By 2024, he was hitting just .133 in 37 games.
Former Red Sox infielder Bobby Dalbec signs minor league deal with Royals
WELCOME TO THE STORM CHASERS BOBBY DALBEC pic.twitter.com/TNAQt32PbK
— Omaha Storm Chasers (@OMAStormChasers) August 10, 2025
Like a cockroach, Dalbec is still bouncing around the league looking for opportunities. Now, Dalbec lands with the Omaha Storm Chasers, where he attempts another MLB comeback with his newest ballclub; he made an immediate impression with a 433-foot home run in his first game.
The Royals already have two power hitters in the corner infield spots, Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia, with 30 home runs between them. Dalbec will face an uphill battle to make another run at a big league roster. He has played all over the diamond, even pitching in college, which adds value to his game. This season, he has shown flashes of his sapped potential with a .984 OPS in Triple-A.
Although he lost most of his support in a notoriously impatient Boston fanbase, Dalbec is a versatile option for the playoff-hopeful Royals and could provide a spark to their lineup if he can translate his power into an effective major league skill set.