Bobby Dalbec among four added to Red Sox 40-man roster
The Red Sox announced Wednesday they added infielders C.J. Chatham and Bobby Dalbec, lefthanders Kyle Hart and Yoan Aybar, and outfielder Marcus Wilson to their 40-man roster.
Dalbec has some serious pop in his bat. He hit 32 homers between Salem and Portland in 2018. He followed that up with 27 homers in 2019 between Portland and Pawtucket. Dalbec made another impression during the Premier12 games despite the United States falling short. Dalbec hit .250 with two homers in 28 at-bats, driving in a team-high eight RBIs. Those numbers were good enough to land Dalbec on the All-World Team by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
Dalbec struck out 176 times in 2018 and 139 times in 2019, but he has improved in strike zone awareness and it’s not far-fetched to project him as a 25-30-homer player in the big leagues. Dalbec profiles as a first baseman and third baseman, however, the Sox have flirted with the idea of getting him reps in the outfield.
Chatham will chase outside the zone but has solid bat-to-ball skills. He hit a combined .298 between Portland and Pawtucket in 2019. Nonetheless, the next step in his development is plate discipline. He had just seven homers in 2019, yet the silver lining might be his 31 homers last year. If he can cut down on chasing pitches, he could have a spike in the power. Chatham won the batting title for the Eastern League last year. He plays up the middle, but the Sox got him some reps in the outfield during the Arizona Fall League.
After the Sox designated Blake Swihart for assignment last season, they acquired Wilson via trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Sox have limited depth in the outfield, so his addition was important. He struggled to begin with in Double A and the team demoted him to Salem before he was called up to Portland in July. He hit .253 in August and will need more seasoning in the minors. He projects as a fourth outfielder.
Aybar was signed as an outfielder in the same draft class as Rafael Devers in 2013, but that didn’t pan out. So, in 2018 the Red Sox converted him to a pitcher. Aybar possesses a big arm, topping out at 99 miles per hour in the Arizona Fall League, and in the age of bullpen depth, with chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom at the helm, Aybar could be an option. Had the Red Sox not protected him, they would have likely lost him in the Rule 5 Draft off his arm strength. He’s still just 22 years old and hasn’t played above Salem.
Hart doesn’t throw hard but he owns a three- or four-pitch mix. He works well in a Bloom system that values a reliever who can eat up innings. Hart has performed respectably since being taken in the 19th round by the Sox in 2016, posting a 3.52 ERA between Portland and Pawtucket last year. Hart might be a good option to replace veteran Sox lefthander Brian Johnson.
The Sox didn’t protect righthander Eduard Bazardo, who is a likely candidate to be chosen in the Rule 5 Draft. He had a 2.21 ERA in 73⅓ innings in 2019 with Salem and Portland. The Sox’ 40-man roster is now at 39 players.
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