Red Sox's Bobby Dalbec: Makes season debut
Dalbec went 1-for-1 as a pinch hitter then finished the game at first base in Monday's 1-0 loss to the Rays.
Dalbec batted for Triston Casas in the eighth inning against lefty reliever Colin Poche for his his first appearance of 2023. He was called up when the Red Sox placed center fielder Adam Duvall (wrist) on the injured list. Dalbec got the call over natural center fielder Jarren Duran, because Boston is expected to see seven lefties in the next eight games, making the righty-hitting Dalbec a better offensive fit at this time, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. However, the team could promote Duran after the upcoming stretch and move Dalbec back to Triple-A Worcester. For now, Red Sox manager Alex Cora plans to rotate Rob Refsnyder, Raimel Tapia and the team's primary shortstop, Enrique Hernandez, in center. When Hernandez starts in the outfield, Cora could use Dalbec as a replacement at short, although Yu Chang is the most likely option.
