You don’t carve out a Hall of Fame-caliber career without having a few tricks up your sleeve.
The Boston Red Sox are counting on David Ortiz to rest up, work on his swing and use his veteran knowhow to turn his season around. For Ortiz, who is expected to sit for a couple of games amid his early-season struggles, performing better requires going back to the drawing board and implementing a backup plan. Plan A simply hasn’t worked in 2015.
“I’ve got to figure out how to execute better,” Ortiz told reporters in Arlington after the Red Sox defeated the Texas Rangers 5-1 on Thursday night. “There is always a Plan B that you’ve got to put in play. Once the Plan B stops working, that means you don’t have it anymore, so that’s another step you’ve got to take. I’m just going to put in play the Plan B.”
So, what’s the Plan B?
“Come back and rake,” Ortiz told reporters with a laugh.
Well, that certainly would boost Boston’s offense, which has been inconsistent all season. Ortiz is hitting .216 with six homers, 18 RBIs and a .679 OPS, prompting Red Sox manager John Farrell to sit down with the slugger following Wednesday’s series finale against the Minnesota Twins to discuss a mental respite that’s since been put into action.
Ortiz could return to the lineup Saturday in Texas, at which point the pressure will be back on the nine-time All-Star to perform up to career norms. While Ortiz’s best days theoretically could be behind him at age 39, he looked last season like someone who had plenty left in the tank, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him parlay the current break into a positive moving forward this season.
“Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” Ortiz said. “For me, it worked once (in 2009). I’ll try it again now and go from there. I’ve just been thinking too much and overdoing things. I know this ballclub needs me, and now we have a long season ahead. I’m just going to try to pull the best out of this.”
History suggests Ortiz knows what he’s doing. The Red Sox are hopeful a Plan C isn’t necessary.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
