SEATTLE – Bobby Dalbec wasn’t certain he'd still be with the Red Sox this year, let alone be part of the Opening Day roster.
“I wasn’t really shocked,” he told the Herald before Saturday night’s game. “Yeah, I wasn’t really sure what to think because I hear different things all the time, but I’m extremely grateful to be here.”
Dalbec had a strong preseason, getting 12 hits in 23 games, including a double and three home runs, scoring seven and bringing in nine. He stole two bases in three attempts, drew seven walks, and struck out 21 times, and secured the infield bench spot on the Opening Day roster.
“I definitely feel like I earned the position based on last year,” he evaluated. “In spring, I had more quality at-bats compared to previous springs, I wasn’t just doing well against pitchers who weren’t really skilled yet or were not at their best on the mound.”
Dalbec didn’t make the Opening Day roster last season and spent most of the year in Triple-A, where he displayed the huge home run power he has struggled to consistently maintain in the Majors. He only played 21 big-league games scattered throughout the season, but there were strong periods within the small sample size. When the Sox brought him back in mid-September, he started his fourth and final stint of the season on a hot streak, going 8-for-25 (.320) with a couple of doubles and a home run in his first seven games.
He entered the offseason aiming not to stray too far from the routine he used when he was hitting well.
“I just tried to replicate what I was doing last year, when I was on that hot streak, because it was sustainable for average and power,” he explained. “Definitely, I still strike out a lot, but there’s more contact and better quality contact, I would say. Just trying to replicate that, just be normal, just be myself.”
Starting the season on the big-league roster means his dugout tradition with Rafael Devers will continue. Often during game broadcasts, Dalbec can be seen massaging Devers’ temples as the third baseman smiles serenely. “I do temple massage, couple face slaps, lock him in,” Dalbec explained.The face slaps are almost like a lighthearted version of Michael Corleone holding his brother Fredo’s face with both hands in Godfather II. It’s a tradition unique to the duo, who are now among the longest-tenured members of the organization. (The Sox signed Devers before the 2014 season, and selected Dalbec in the fourth round of the ’16 draft.)
“Just him, he’s the only one on the train,” said Dalbec. “I don’t know, maybe people think it’s weird, but Raffy and I have known each other for so long.”
He doesn’t remember why or how the ritual began. “I have no idea, just giving him good vibes,” he chuckled. “He just likes it. Me and him have a different relationship. He’s one of my best friends, I would say. Just known each other, so we’re super comfortable.”
At this point, it’s so ingrained in their game-day practice that Dalbec knows when Devers is ready. “He’ll just kind of come up to me,” he said. “He doesn’t have to say it, he just kind of looks at me, and I’m like, okay I got you.”
Devers usually also gets his back cracked, a skill of Dalbec’s. Dalbec said with a smile, "That's my claim to fame, giving guys back cracks." He recalled his first big-league camp when J.D. Martinez asked for someone to crack his back, and Dalbec raised his hand and did it.
"Guys will just walk up to me, make a T with their arms, and say hi, and then receive a back crack."
Bobby Dalbec describes his unique dugout tradition with Rafael Devers, and talks about making the 2024 Red Sox Opening Day roster.
“Guys will just walk up to me and go like this,” he said, holding up his arms to form a T, “and say what’s up, and just get one.”
