FORT MYERS, Fla, -- His journey derailed by visa issues following his participation in the WBC in Asia, Yu Chang is expected to join the Red Sox Thursday morning. There's some question as to whether Chang will be physically ready to be part of the Red Sox' Opening Day roster.
The Red Sox like Chang enough to re-sign him in February after a roster crunch led to him being designated for assignment last fall. But if Chang isn't ready to go, the Red Sox aren't concerned about his replacement. They believe Bobby Dalbec can fill the role of utility infielder.
"We're very comfortable with him,'' said Alex Cora of Dalbec. "He makes all the plays (at shortstop); we're comfortable putting him at second, too. That's good for Bobby, more versatile. We know he can hit lefties. That's very important, too. Just keep playing and we'll make decisions accordingly. but we're comfortable with him, the way he's moving defensively.''
Dalbec played third base at the University of Arizona before shifting to first after being drafted by the Red Sox in 2016. In parts of three seasons, Dalbec has shown flashes of plus power (.456 career slugging and 45 homers in 273 games), but his high strikeout rate and inconsistency at the plate has pushed him out of the picture, with Triston Casas emerging as the team's first baseman.
This spring, however, Dalbec has resumed using the whole field more, and given opportunities in the middle of the infield, responded well.
"His actions are great,'' said Cora. "The way he moves, he's a good defender. And the way he thinks about the game defensively is very impressive. His arm plays everywhere. He's a great athlete. I'm comfortable with him. The more I see him, (the more confident I've become). He's a tall guy, but he moves well.''
"I've felt pretty comfortable there from the start,'' said Dalbec. "I played there in high school, 10 years ago. I don't know if that translated at all, but I feel good over there, for sure.''
It had been presumed at the start of camp that Dalbec would begin the season at Triple A, where the Sox would like to see him get into a more consistent offensive group in the event he's needed by the parent club. But circumstances -- including Chang's participation in the WBC and the unavailability of Adalberto Mondesi (knee) -- have given Dalbec a chance to demonstrate that he could fill in adequately in the middle of the infield.
Deciding whether a player would benefit more from regular playing time in the minors or contribute off the bench in the big leagues is the eternal balancing act for clubs.
"We always talk about stuff like that,'' said Cora. "But at the end of the day, it's (more important) what we need here, understanding Mondy isn't ready. We'll see.''
Meanwhile, Chang has been in limbo since Chinese Taipei was eliminated last week, his travel delayed by visa complications.
"We'll see where he's at physically and how much he's done,'' said Cora. "He told everybody that he's been trying to get at-bats and do his thing. Hopefully, when he comes here, we can just play him.''
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Thursday figures to be a fairly important turning point in the competition for the fifth starter's spot. With three starters set to begin the year on the IL -- Garrett Whitlock, Brayan Bello and James Paxton -- the Sox have an opening at the back end of the rotation.
It would seem that both Josh Winckowski and Kutter Crawford will be on the Opening Day staff. The lone issue to be decided is which one will begin the season as a starter and which one will be a bulk reliever in the bullpen.
On Thursday, Winckowski will face the Pirates for four innings in Bradenton while Crawford will throw six innings in a minor league game at Fenway South.
"We're making adjustments, obviously (because of the injuries),'' said Cora. "We're getting close to hopping on that plane to go to Boston. But those two guys are throwing the ball extremely well and we're happy they're healthy and doing an outstanding job. They're battling for spots on the roster and both of them have done a lot of good things for us to have them in the conversation.
"Like I said, both of them are throwing the ball well and you guys know about (the injured pitchers working their way back). They're in the conversation.''
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Tanner Houck, in his next-to-last outing here before the season starts, was racked by the Minnesota Twins Wednesday night, surrendering eight runs on 10 hits, including three homers. "I sucked,'' confessed Houck after the Sox lost 11-0. "That's about as (direct) as I could put it. Competitively, obviously, I want to be better. I know I can be better. I know I'm a better pitcher than I've shown. I'm frustrated with myself. (But) I don't put too much stock in it. It's spring training. We've got Opening Day in (a week) now, roughly, and that's when stuff really starts to matter.'' The shelling was a continuation of a poor spring for Houck, who has allowed 16 runs in 16.1 innings on 21 hits -- six of them homers.... Connor Wong, who suffered a setback earlier in camp with a hamstring strain, is improving. He's scheduled to catch in a home minor league game. "Physically, he's in a good spot,'' said Cora.... Casas, who missed Tuesday and Wednesday night with a swollen pinkie is expected to return to the lineup Thursday in Bradenton... Jarren Duran is due back to camp Thursday, after having played for Mexico in the WBC. Duran got only five at-bats in the tournament, but despite a good start in camp before he departed, doesn't appear to be in line to make the Opening Day roster... The Sox -- and all other MLB clubs -- got some updated clarifications from MLB on the implementation of the pitch clock and other new rules for the 2023 season. Cora said the commissioner's office has done an "outstanding job'' in educating the players about the new rules. "The communication is helping,'' Cora said, but he remains unsure about some of the timeout provisions and wanted more details.