WORRYING NEWS: Four Red Sox Stars Who Won’t Play In The Season But Will Be On The Opening Day Roster In 2024
An MLB roster has a lot of space for alteration. Every day, players run the danger of getting hurt. There is always a chance that a deal will happen before the mid-summer deadline. Sometimes a player benefits from a spell in the lower leagues.
Before the rosters for Opening Day are decided, the Boston Red Sox and every other team in the league have a lot of work to do at spring training. They also don’t always get it right.
There is virtually no possibility of assembling a flawless roster that will remain unaltered for 162 games. Yu Chang began the 2023 season with the Sox as a utility player and, after the season, found himself back in the minor leagues. After being cut by a baseball, Tanner Houck was off the team for many weeks.
The Red Sox roster might alter dramatically if they are a postseason contender come the trade deadline, even though fans may not think it is realistic right now. Should they not be contenders, they may decide to sell, providing some excellent loaner possibilities for teams involved in the race.
As in the past, Boston has not wavered in its belief that Bobby Dalbec might be a valuable addition to the team. Dalbec blasted 25 home runs in 133 games in 2021, but he has never been able to match that output. From 240 in 2021 to.215 in 2022 and even lower in 2023, his big-ball average dropped. But last season’s sample size of games was modest.
First base is Dalbec’s strongest defensive position, but after a strong season, Triston Casas has assumed the role. Dalbec’s bats are not quite as good as those of the Sox. Despite his ability to hit for power, he strikes out a lot of people. Baseball Savant reports that in 2021 and 2022, his K percentages were among the lowest in the league.
Dalbec may be counting on a utility position to keep him in the majors this season, but in 2023, Pablo Reyes and Enmanuel Valdez performed better in that capacity than he did. Dalbec spent most of the previous season in Worcester, so Alex Cora has expressed his admiration for him, but it won’t be enough to keep him in the majors.
