It's quite possible that it's already too late for Bobby Dalbec, at least as far as this season is concerned.
In the last two weeks, the Red Sox have claimed Travis Shaw on waivers from Milwaukee and worked trade deadline acquisition Kyle Schwarber out at first base in preparation for him to get significant playing time at the position.
None of which augurs well for Dalbec, the team's starting first baseman for much of the season. The Sox wouldn't have claimed Shaw or had Schwarber move to first if they had been happy with Dalbec's production.
Before Thursday night, Dalbec sported a lowly .282 on-base percentage, led the team in strikeouts and had accumulated a measly 18 walks in 323 at-bats. And that's just his offensive struggles.
Lately, manager Alex Cora has spoken directly about Dalbec's uneven play at first base, noting that it had been both inconsistent and disappointing. For Cora to be so blunt about a player publicly is rare, and his candor surely was meant to send a message.
It's anyone's guess as to whether any of this has been weighing on Dalbec. Some players respond to the push of competition, while others merely bury themselves with the additional pressure.
Either way, Dalbec had the best game of his career Thursday in the Red Sox' 12-2 thumping of the Minnesota Twins. He cranked a three-run homer in the second to provide starter Chris Sale with all the backing he would require. Then, in the sixth, he fired a line-drive single to center, plating two more. Finally, as an encore, he belted yet another homer in the seventh, giving him a total of seven RBI on the night and his second multi-homer game this month.
The second homer produced chants of "Bobby! Bobby!'' from the crowd of 33,746 at Fenway and a brief curtain call from the slugger on the dugout steps.
(In so doing, Dalbec became only the sixth player in history to hit two or more homers and collect seven or more RBI from the ninth spot in the batting order and the first Red Sox player to do so since Jackie Bradley Jr. did in 2015 against Seattle.)
The night was merely a continuation of a strong month for Dalbec. In 20 games in August, he's hitting .347 with five homers, 19 RBI and an OPS of 1,184, who declined to draw a connection between the arrival of Shaw and Schwarber and the improvement he's shown of late.
"It's not about me,'' insisted Dalbec. "Whatever lineup is best suited to win a game, I'm all for it. That's all I've got to say about that.''
More likely, the forward strides made by Dalbec in recent weeks are the result of some adjustments at the plate.
"I'm just trying to treat every pitch like it's the best one I'm going to get in that at-bat,'' offered Dalbec, "and if it's not in the zone, just let it go. I'm just continuing to make adjustments and take what they give me.''
From his standpoint, Cora sees a hitter more committed to pulling the ball.
"He's doing a good job. One thing he's doing lately is pulling the ball,'' said Cora. "There were a lot of empty fly balls to right field (earlier in the season). I know last year, he was driving the ball that way. But people make adjustments and now it seems like every home run is pull side.''
Whether this resurgence is enough to win Dalbec playing time remains an open question. Shaw has hit two homers this week, including a walk-off grand slam on Monday, though his play around the bag has been spotty. Meanwhile, Schwarber was due to get his first start at first base Thursday night, but that plan was scrapped when the Sox placed Hunter Renfroe on the bereavement list, causing a re-imagining of their outfield alignment, with J.D. Martinez in left, Jarren Duran recalled from Worcester in center, Alex Verdugo shifted to Renfroe's customary spot in right field and Schwarber parked at DH.
Schwarber did make an appearance at first in the ninth and is likely to play more regularly at the position beginning this weekend in Cleveland. Shaw, meanwhile, remains an option against righthanders.
There will be times when Schwarber is used in left field, and also DH. But it's clear that the Sox view Schwarber at first, Verdugo in left, either Kike Hernandez or Duran in center and Renfroe in right with Martinez as the DH.
That, in turn, limits Dalbec's time at first. He had four months to further establish himself as the solution at first, and couldn't do so. He'll get the occasional opportunity at first against lefties.
And no matter what, he'll always have his two-homer, seven-RBI night at Fenway, and the curtain call that came with it.