The third off day in the first 10 days of the season makes it tough for players and fans to get into the swing of baseball season, but Tuesday's day off could benefit the Red Sox.
After colliding with Adrian Beltre on Sunday afternoon, Jacoby Ellsbury has been diagnosed with a rib contusion. The good news, though, is that nothing is broken. The better news is that with no game scheduled on Tuesday, the collision could end up costing him just one game out of the lineup.
"[Wednesday's] definitely a possibility," Ellsbury told the Boston Herald, "but then again, I'm not sure how much change there will be. I'm just trying to take it easy, see how I feel. … I've got to let it calm down."
Manager Terry Francona also mentioned on Tuesday on his weekly appearance on WEEI that the day off can be a good thing for Ellsbury and the rest of the team.
"Hopefully it gives us another day of Jacoby getting a little bit more healthy," Francona told the Dale and Holley Show. "There's a lot of baseball and [with two day games on Wednesday and Thursday], it's OK for guys to get away a little bit."
Francona has stated that he expects Ellbury to miss at least a couple of games, but obviously, the outfielder has taken a more optimistic viewpoint. Jeremy Hermida filled in for Ellsbury on Monday, going 1-for-2 with a double, a walk and a strikeout.
