The 2025 MLB season has been a frustrating campaign for Boston Red Sox fans, to say the least. The Red Sox have been bouncing around the .500 mark throughout the year, as they look like a playoff-bound club one moment, only to look like an unmitigated disaster the next.
As frustrating as the early season has been so far, the Red Sox's recent first-base drama has only made things worse. After starting first baseman Triston Casas underwent season-ending knee surgery earlier this week, backup Romy Gonzalez suffered a back injury during Wednesday's win over the Texas Rangers, adding another banged-up name to Boston's first-base depth chart.
The uncertainty at first base has left Red Sox fans to wonder if Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow is nearing any potential solutions.
Red Sox Shouldn't Reunite With Bobby Dalbec Amid 1B Injury Woes
Veteran first baseman Bobby Dalbec is one name that Red Sox fans have floated around as a potential Casas replacement. The 29-year-old infielder elected to hit free agency earlier this week after being designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox.
A former 2016 fourth-round selection, Dalbec spent nearly a decade in the Red Sox organization. The Seattle, WA native eventually made his MLB debut in 2020, racking up eight home runs and 16 RBIs with a .263/.359/.600 slash line in 23 games (80 at-bats) with Boston. He was then awarded and held on to starting 1B duties throughout the following two seasons, tallying 37 HRs, 117 RBIs, and a .440 slugging percentage.
Unfortunately, that's where the good times involving Dalbec end.
The former Arizona Wildcat struggled to maintain an MLB roster spot, seeing only 132 ABs in 58 games across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Try as he might, Dalbec failed to make the most of those opportunities, yielding two HRs and nine RBIs. He also had a putrid .159/.234/.235 slash line. His Boston struggles followed him to the White Sox, resulting in only one RBI with a .222 BA and .611 OPS in 18 ABs.
While sports-related reunions can warm even the coldest fan's heart, the last thing the Red Sox need is to bring Dalbec back to Beantown. He can be a solid minor-league hitter all he wants, but that production doesn't matter much if he can't make an MLB impact.
It isn't hard to see why the Red Sox would be wiser to head in a different direction.
Dalbec already wore out his welcome in Boston once, and the Red Sox don't need to take the risks that come with featuring him in a starting role again. Breslow and the rest of the front office are better off rolling the dice on a new face with more big-league upside than Dalbec possesses.
For now, the Red Sox will likely be content rolling with Gonzalez (when he returns) and Abraham Toro until a better first base solution emerges.