Chicago White Sox Add Former Boston Red Sox Slugger Bobby Dalbec on Minor League Deal

Bobby Dalbec, who showed flashes of power with the Boston Red Sox in 2020 and 2021, is set to join the Chicago White Sox when Spring Training gets underway.

Apr 23, 2022; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Bobby Dalbec (29) reacts after hitting an RBI triple against the Tampa Bay Rays in the tenth inning at Tropicana Field. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Chicago White Sox have signed corner infielder Bobby Dalbec to a minor league contract, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.

Dalbec, 29, spent the past five seasons with the Boston Red Sox. He was designated for assignment in September and elected free agency in November.

The deal includes a non-roster invite to the White Sox's major league Spring Training camp, which gets underway in February.

Per MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo, Dalbec will get $1.25 million if he reaches the majors, not including the additional $500K available to him in incentives. He will have opt-out clauses in June and July.

The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms with INF Bobby Dalbec on a minor-league contract which includes a non-roster invite to Spring Training.

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) January 7, 2025

Dalbec showed flashes when he first reached the majors in 2020, and he continued to slug in 2021, but he has yet to reach those heights ever since.

Between 2020 and 2021, Dalbec appeared in 156 games for the Red Sox. He hit .243 with an .819 OPS in those contests, racking up 33 home runs, 24 doubles, 94 RBI and a 0.9 WAR along the way.

Dalbec hit 12 home runs with 39 RBI across 117 games in 2022, but that came along with a -0.7 WAR. He would appear in just 58 games across 2023 and 2024, batting .159 with two homers, nine RBI, a .469 OPS and a -1.0 WAR.

For his career, Dalbec is a .201 hitter with a .664 OPS against righties and a .256 hitter with a .798 OPS against lefties. The right-handed slugger has averaged 23 home runs, 18 doubles, 69 RBI, 39 walks, 188 strikeouts and a -0.4 WAR per 162 games in the big leagues.

The White Sox traded away their own homegrown corner infielder, Jake Burger, at the 2023 deadline and wound up with the worst offense in baseball in 2024, so there may be an opening for Dalbec on the MLB roster even in spite of his flaws. Andrew Vaughn and Miguel Vargas – who are projected to serve as Chicago's starting first baseman and designated hitter, respectively – combined for a -0.8 WAR in 2024.

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