Red Sox Fan Favorite Undergoing Position Change In Attempt To Make Roster

Boston could use versatility on the roster

Scott Neville | Feb 16, 2023

Red Sox Fan Favorite Undergoing Position Change In Attempt To Make Roster /

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Boston Red Sox

Due to a heavy turnover involving core players, many of the most versatile members of the Boston Red Sox -- such as Kiké Hernández and Christian Arroyo -- are expected to absorb full-time gigs.

That leaves the Red Sox roster with questions surrounding its versatility. A former top prospect and fan-favorite slugger is hoping to fortify the team's depth while increasing his chances of making the roster in the process.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Bobby Dalbec he will play a lot of third base with Rafael Devers leaving for the World Baseball Classic soon according to The Athletic's Jen McCaffery. The 27-year-old will also get reps at first base and shortstop.

Dalbec has 233 appearances at first base, 40 at third base, three at shortstop and two at second base over his three-season career. He's logged -16 defensive runs saved in his career -- losing -13 at first base.

The Red Sox plan to use rookie Triston Casas primarily at first base and are attempting to teach Justin Turner to play the position as well. Dalbec seemingly is third on the depth chart.

Being able to move around the diamond could be Dalbec's greatest asset alongside his propensity to excel versus left-handed pitching. That said, if he's below average at each position, there's not much value other than knowing where to stand for cutoffs.

Based on the current construction of the roster, Dalbec likely will sneak onto the roster again in 2023 despite his poor 2022 season.

Remarkably, Dalbec still has a career 101 OPS+ due to his strong debut in 2020 and incredible second half of 2021.

The right-handed slugger could become productive once again in a platoon role. He's hit .268 with 35 extra-base hits including 19 home runs, 59 RBIs and a .855 OPS in 330 plate appearances versus southpaws.

If Cora uses Dalbec solely against left-handed pitching and only deploys him in the field when absolutely necessary, he could aid the 2023 campaign and resurrect his career in the process.

More MLB: Red Sox's Alex Cora Alludes To Moving Rafael Devers Down In Batting Order

Published Feb 16, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu