Red Sox Nation has heard it before; The Boston Red Sox have a Bobby Dalbec problem. Dalbec was optioned to Worcester once again in May as part of a series of roster moves at the time. Of course, he's back to torching Triple-A pitching with the WooSox.
Dalbec went deep for the WooSox in a 9-8 victory on May 18. He drilled a two-run shot to left field in the first inning to put Worcester on the board against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Dalbec has a .220/.328/.540 slash line through 14 games with the WooSox. He's blasted five home runs and eight RBI while crossing the plate himself 12 times. Once again, he's off to a strong start in Triple-A and his bat is huge in Worcester's order.
The problem is he can't translate it to the major leagues. Dalbec amassed just seven hits in 53 at-bats over 22 games with the big league club. He hit zero home runs with four walks, four RBIs, and just nine total bases. That's good for a paltry .132/.207/.170 slash line in almost a month of play. In a word, yikes.
Former Red Sox prospect Bobby Dalbec shows he's, at best, a Triple-A player
Death, taxes, Bobby Dalbec hitting home runs. pic.twitter.com/9eGDjAOgRa
— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) May 17, 2024
Ever since that magical August of 2021 when it appeared that Dalbec had finally turned the corner and could become an everyday player, it has been struggle after struggle for him. He faltered in 2022 after he played 117 games in the majors. He only appeared in 21 Red Sox games in 2023. It's more of the same this year.
Dominic Smith and Garrett Cooper have had their struggles since they were brought in after Triston Casas' long-term injury but Dalbec hasn't given the Red Sox a reason to believe he is a better option than either of them. There's a possibility his defense is better than Smith or Cooper's, but his bat doesn't measure up.
Dalbec has no minor league options remaining and it's hard not to imagine this as his last season donning a Red Sox uniform. While he's well on his way to being the king of Worcester, things have not panned out for the greater part of his major league career in Boston.