After weeks of waiting, David Ortiz is back.
At least, that’s the plan for the Red Sox designated hitter, as he prepares to return from the disabled list on Friday barring any setbacks.
Without Ortiz, the Red Sox offense has sputtered. The team’s on-base percentage in his absence has hovered about .300, which over the course of an entire season would rank them in the bottom five of the majors.
With Papi back in the fold, however, the team will get an infusion of some much-needed pop, provided that Ortiz will return to his pre-injury form.
When he was placed on the disabled list back in July, Ortiz led the Red Sox in just about every offensive stat category. He returns batting .316 with 23 home runs and 58 RBIs, with a .414 OBP and a 1.024 OPS to his name as well.
There’s no questioning that the Red Sox will be in better shape with Ortiz in the lineup, but after such a long time away, the slugger might have some trouble getting his timing back down. The Red Sox have 37 games remaining this year, which translates to a little over 20 percent of the season left. Can the Sox count on Papi to keep bringing the power?
