David Ortiz has emerged from the drawing board. All signs point toward the slugger returning to the Boston Red Sox’s starting lineup Saturday, manager John Farrell said after Friday’s 7-4 loss.
Ortiz sat out the first two games of Boston’s series against the Texas Rangers to work on his swing and catch a mental breather. Will the respite, which also involved video work, yield improved results?
“We’re about to find out,” Ortiz told reporters in Arlington after Friday’s game. “I’ve been in the Ortiz laboratory.”
Ortiz is hitting .216 with six homers, 18 RBIs and a .679 OPS this season. The 39-year-old hasn’t looked like his usual self, prompting this week’s decision to get him off his feet for a couple of days.
Ortiz made it clear after Thursday’s game he plans to implement “Plan B” upon returning to Boston’s lineup. That backup plan apparently entails “raking” against opposing pitchers, which Red Sox hitting coach Chili Davis sees as a realistic possibility.
“I don’t worry about David Ortiz,” Davis told the Providence Journal before Friday’s game at Globe Life Park. “He knows himself. He knows the kind of hitter he is.”
While it’s reasonable to wonder whether Ortiz has lost a step given his age, the nine-time All-Star showed last season why it’s never wise to underestimate how much he has left in the tank. He launched 35 homers and compiled 104 RBIs — his highest such totals since 2007 –and looked like someone capable of spearheading Boston’s offensive attack for another couple of seasons.
This season has been disappointing for the Red Sox in several respects, but Boston’s lack of offensive production in some ways can be attributed to Ortiz’s struggles in the middle of the order. As Big Papi goes, so do the Red Sox. And that’s why the club is hopeful his two-day hiatus will prove beneficial.
“You have a conversation with him, it registers, he goes, ‘Yep. You’re absolutely right,’ ” Davis told the Providence Journal. “When he locks into his mind what he wants to do at the plate, he’s going to be that tough out he’s always been in his career.”
It’s time to ditch the lab coat and toss on a uniform. Ortiz’s experiment is about to be put on display.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
