David Ortiz Takes 50 Swings Off a Tee, But Return Date Still Very Much Unknown

by Mike Cole on Tue, Mar 19, 2013 at 5:22PM

At this point, who really knows when David Ortiz will be back in the Red Sox lineup?

The Boston designated hitter has battled heel injuries since last summer, and they have carried over into spring training. The All-Star slugger has yet to appear in a game this spring, and it has sounded like that won’t change for a while. After a series of setbacks, Ortiz appeared to take a step in the right direction Tuesday.

According to multiple reports, Ortiz took 50 swings in the batting cage Tuesday. Those swings came off of a tee, according to the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber. While there’s still no timetable whatsoever for his return, this development is obviously a positive for Ortiz and the team. However, any assumptions that Ortiz might be back soon could be putting the cart in front of the horse.

In fact, CBSSports.com baseball writer Jon Heyman reported earlier in the day that Ortiz may be hoping for a mid-April return. Heyman even reported that Ortiz may not be back until May, as he hadn’t swung a bat in six days. Does Tuesday’s development change things? Again, it’s probably too early to tell.