Bobby Dalbec is heading to Japan for the next chapter of his baseball journey. The 30-year-old slugger has signed a one-year deal with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball, with reports out of Japan indicating the contract is worth over $1 million.
Once a top prospect in the Red Sox system, Dalbec’s career has been a rollercoaster of power and strikeouts. He made a splash in his 2020 debut, launching eight home runs and posting a .959 OPS in just 92 plate appearances.
That kind of early production had Boston fans dreaming of a long-term fixture at the corner infield spots. And in 2021, Dalbec followed it up with 25 homers and a .240/.298/.494 slash line over 453 plate appearances - not bad for a rookie campaign.
But the warning signs were there: he struck out 156 times that season alone, a rate that proved tough to overcome.
From 2022 through 2025, the swing-and-miss issues only got worse. Dalbec’s strikeout rate ballooned to 37.5% over that four-year stretch, and the production cratered.
Across stints with the Red Sox and White Sox, he hit just .199/.272/.328 in 520 plate appearances. By the end of the 2024 season, Boston moved on.
A minor league deal with the White Sox in 2025 led to just seven big league games before he was designated for assignment in May. From there, he bounced between minor league contracts with the Brewers and Royals, but never made it back to the majors.
Still, Dalbec’s raw power remains undeniable - especially at the Triple-A level. He owns a career .263/.351/.520 slash line with 89 home runs in 1,534 plate appearances at Triple-A.
Even with a strikeout rate north of 33%, those numbers show why teams have kept giving him chances. When he connects, the ball goes a long way.
That’s exactly what the Yomiuri Giants are banking on. NPB has long been a place where power hitters can reinvent themselves, and Dalbec’s profile fits the mold of several former MLB sluggers who found success overseas. If he can shorten the swing just enough to cut down on the strikeouts, there’s a real chance he could thrive in Japan - and maybe even play his way back into the MLB conversation.
For now, Dalbec gets a fresh start with one of Japan’s most storied franchises. The Giants are hoping his bat brings some thunder to their lineup. And for Dalbec, it’s a shot at redemption - and a reminder that in baseball, sometimes the next big swing is just an ocean away.