Bobby Dalbec starting at shortstop for Red Sox vs. Rays

BOSTON -- The Red Sox, quite famously, let Xander Bogaerts leave via free agency this past offseason. It made the news once or twice. People talked about it.

The Red Sox, though, weren't overly concerned. So much so, in fact, that they didn't even sign a replacement at shortstop. Instead, the team felt comfortable moving Kiké Hernandez to arguably the most important position on the field while keeping Christian Arroyo and securing infielder Yu Chang as backups.

Thus far ... Hernandez leads all of MLB shortstops with five errors, and he's hitting .083 at the plate.

The situation is getting worse, too.

With outfielder Masataka Yoshida being a late scratch for Wednesday's game vs. the Rays in St. Petersburg, Hernandez is moving back out to center field. His spot at shortstop will be filled by ... Bobby Dalbec.

Dalbec didn't even start the year with the big league club, but he was called up Monday to replace the injured Adam Duvall on the roster. He's also not a shortstop. He's a corner infielder.

Last year, with the Red Sox spiraling in August, Dalbec was thrust into a starting shortstop role for one game. A year prior, he played two innings at the position. In the minor leagues, he spent three total innings at shortstop prior to this season, and he never played the position in college or in the Cape League.

When it comes to Dalbec and the shortstop position, he may be the ultimate "break glass in case of emergency."

Yet here, in just the 12th game of the season, he's the starting shortstop for the Boston Red Sox. Against the 11-0 Tampa Bay Rays.

For what it's worth, Bogaerts has started 12 games at shortstop for his new team in San Diego. He's hitting .333 with a 1.093 OPS from four homers and three doubles. He's driven in 10 runs and crossed the plate 10 times himself, looking like the perfect fit for the Padres. He certainly won't be performing to the level of his salary in years 8-11 of his megadeal in Southern California, but in the short term, he's looking like a great signing.

And in that short term, the Red Sox are just going to have to ride out a tough stretch without a real shortstop on the roster. That was kind of the case since spring training, but Wednesday night's lineup will surely crystallize the situation for anyone who might have not been paying close attention.