Red Sox

Yu Chang makes Red Sox roster, Bobby Dalbec optioned down

Boston also announced on Monday that Connor Wong would be on the Opening Day roster over Jorge Alfaro.

Yu Chang recently shined for Taiwan in the World Baseball Classic, slugging .938 in four games.

March 28, 2023

The Red Sox made a pair of roster moves on Monday, naming both infielder Yu Chang and catcher Connor Wong to the Opening Day roster.

According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, Boston will be sending Jorge Alfaro and Bobby Dalbec down to the minors.

The 27-year-old Chang gets the nod over Dalbec after impressing in the recent World Baseball Classic. In his four games for Taiwan, Chang had seven hits, four for extra bases, and 8 RBIs.

the Yu Chang grand slam feels likes like it happened months ago but it should absolutely endure as one of the best moments of the entire tournament pic.twitter.com/suu5SIvmCR https://t.co/mb1Nm6F9bw
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) March 22, 2023

At the same time, Dalbec struggled in spring training. The infielder struck out 21 times in 51 at bats and had an on-base percentage of .304. While he did flash some power with eight extra base hits, Alex Cora and Chaim Bloom decided it would be best for him to begin the season in AAA.

When it comes to the battle of the backstops, the Red Sox elected to go with the mutli-positional Wong over Alfaro despite the latter’s success in March. In his nine games, Alfaro posted a 1.390 OPS.

Wong, who had a .500 OPS in four spring training games, is able to play both second and third base in addition to catcher. Alfaro on the other hand is restricted to mostly catching.

Another potential reason for the selection of Wong is his position on the 40-man roster, while Alfaro is signed to a minor league contract. Keeping Wong on the major league roster means saving his minor league options while also not having to pay Alfaro a major league contract.

With the utility infield and backup catcher spots settled, the only position battle still up for grabs is the fifth outfielder.

Cotillo reported that the spot is between Jarren Duran and Raimel Tapia. Both Duran and Tapia have succeeded at the plate in spring training, each hitting over .300 and slugging over .550.