The Boston Red Sox have undergone many roster changes since the beginning of the season. A number of Sox who began their campaign with the big-league club have since been optioned to Triple-A to accommodate for trade acquisitions or injured players.
Bobby Dalbec has been particularly hot since his demotion, as he has been before. The infielder has six homers in Worcester this season, five of which came after he was optioned on May 3. Dalbec is slashing .242/.333/.545, a far cry from his .132 big-league average.
Despite Dalbec's rough tenure with the Red Sox in recent years, he was an obstacle on Rafael Devers' way to a franchise record. Dalbec was tied with multiple former Red Sox for the most consecutive games with a home run in franchise history. Devers' six-game homer streak put Dalbec's record in the rearview mirror.
Enmanuel Valdez has also hit his fair share of homers since his option to Triple-A on May 2. The second baseman has also knocked six long balls for Worcester, including a two-homer night on May 21. Valdez is slashing .262/.392/.607 with a .999 OPS with the WooSox.
Bob? Bob. pic.twitter.com/8LWNvJXJFw
— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) May 23, 2024
Bobby Dalbec, Enmanuel Valdez, Josh Winckowski making a push for Red Sox roster
The Red Sox announced they would shuffle Valdez around the diamond to get him defensive reps in the outfield to increase his versatility. The 25-year-old hasn't played in the outfield yet, but he's made three starts each at first and third base.
Pablo Reyes has only appeared in four games with Worcester since he was outrighted on May 6. His offensive stats are insanely high due to the small sample size of outings — Reyes is batting .556/.692/.889 with a homer, three RBI and three stolen bags. He's collected five hits in nine at-bats.
He makes it look easy 🤷🏻♀️
— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) May 21, 2024
Valdez off the batter's eye for his second homer of the game 🙌 pic.twitter.com/2kQMTtQo9e
The Red Sox optioned right-handed pitcher Josh Winckowski to Triple-A on May 12. Red Sox manager Alex Cora stated that Winckowski needed to work on his repertoire, including breaking pitches, which aligns with Andrew Bailey's throwing philosophy.
Winckowski has pitched to a 2.84 ERA in 6.1 innings, which includes one start. He's struck out six batters and walked one.
Cora stated that Winckowski would return to the big-league lineup after he got some work in the minors, and each of the optioned Sox are working for the same outcome. If Dalbec can turn his offense enough to warrant another shot at the Red Sox roster, he may have a decent chance to displace Garrett Cooper or Dominic Smith. Vaughn Grissom has struggled offensively, but his defense at second base has been excellent, so Valdez or Reyes may need to find another path back to the roster.
Nonetheless, it's nice to see the uptick in play after their struggles at the MLB level.