Infielder Bobby Dalbec will not be there with the Boston Red Sox when the team kicks off their 2023 MLB regular season. Dalbec has been optioned by the team to Triple-A Worcester, which means that Yu Chang has won the battle between the two for a utility spot on Boston's roster.

Dalbec felt he has performed well enough to earn the spot, but he will just have to go with the flow and learn to accept his fate.

“I thought I played really well,” Bobby Dalbec said Monday about the news (via Chris Cotillo of MassLive). “Defense, offense. A little lull the last 10, 15 at-bats maybe. But I felt like I still contributed every day on the base paths. Played hard. So I did all I can do. I think I controlled what I could. The rest isn’t up to me.”

Bobby Dalbec has played a total of 18 games so far in Spring Training, during which he hit .235 to go with a .304 OBP and a .510 SLG for an .810 OPS. He's also hit two home runs with six RBI across 51 at-bats.

Dalbec has appeared in three separate MLB regular seasons with the Red Sox. In 2020, he played 23 games and slashed .263/.359/.600 with eight home runs and 16 RBI in 92 plate appearances. The following year, he went .240/.298/.494 with 25 home runs and 78 RBI in 133 games. Then in 2022, he took a step back with lines of .215/.283/.369, including 12 home runs and 39 RBI. From a 107 OPS+ in 2021, he dropped to 80 OPS+ in 2022.

The Red Sox will open their 2023 MLB season with a series at Fenway Park against the Baltimore Orioles that starts Thursday.