David Ortiz Out Indefinitely with Left Wrist Injury
The hits just keep on coming for the Red Sox (and we don't mean the hits that result from a bat striking a ball). Less than a week ago, Daisuke Matsuzaka landed on the DL with a mild shoulder strain; this week, NESN is reporting that designated hitter David Ortiz, who missed Sunday's game after tweaking his hand/wrist the day before, has been placed on the disabled list and will be out indefinitely with a partial tear of the ECU tendon sheath in his left wrist. NESN anchors, citing Globe and Herald sources, speculated that Ortiz could presumably miss time well past the All-Star break as he will have his injured left wrist immobilized in a cast for at least the next month. (NOTE: The team has not yet made an official statement regarding Ortiz's recovery timeline.) Surgery has been ruled out for the foreseeable future, but I assume that could be readdressed if the wrist does not progress as expected. It's difficult to speculate on this issue without having all the facts, but it doesn't look good for Big Papi at the moment.
As with most injuries to star players, this couldn't have come at a worse time for the Sox. Ortiz was just starting to regain his confidence at the plate, the Sox are in a close battle for first place with the Rays, and the Yanks and Jays are beginning to show signs of life. There are a number of routes the Sox could elect to take in order to fill the massive hole in the lineup left by Ortiz. First, they could promote from within and hope to tread water until Ortiz can come back. In this scenario, Manny could shift to DH semi-full-time (might not work because we all know Manny sees himself strictly as a left fielder) while Ellsbury, Crisp and Drew occupy the outfield positions. Brandon Moss would be called upon to step into the fourth outfielder role.
Second and less likely, they could try to land a power hitter in a trade or via free agency. The list of usual suspects is topped by Reds outfielder Adam Dunn; MLB Trade Rumors throws Barry Bonds, Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Brian Giles, Raul Ibanez and Milton Bradley into the mix, as well. There are a few very intriguing options in there (Dunn, Bay, Nady... basically everyone besides Bonds and Giles), but everyone except baseball's infamous asterisked record holder would presumably command an unacceptably steep price in a deal. The Sox certainly have the pieces to deal, but as the saying goes, they aren't going to mortgage their future for a short-term solution. Personally, I'd love to see Dunn taking advantage of the short right field line at Fenway, but a deal seems unlikely for at least the next couple of weeks, meaning we'll be relying on a lineup of Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youkilis, Ramirez, Lowell, Drew, Varitek, Crisp and Lugo. It's still a very formidable 1-9, but it doesn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers without Papi in there.
UPDATE / 6.03 / 1:07 PM: The Providence Journal is reporting that hard hitting Chris Carter will be called up from Triple A Pawtucket to assume David Ortiz's roster spot. It appears that at least initially, Carter will get the bulk of his work at DH and may see some time in the outfield, as well.
As with most injuries to star players, this couldn't have come at a worse time for the Sox. Ortiz was just starting to regain his confidence at the plate, the Sox are in a close battle for first place with the Rays, and the Yanks and Jays are beginning to show signs of life. There are a number of routes the Sox could elect to take in order to fill the massive hole in the lineup left by Ortiz. First, they could promote from within and hope to tread water until Ortiz can come back. In this scenario, Manny could shift to DH semi-full-time (might not work because we all know Manny sees himself strictly as a left fielder) while Ellsbury, Crisp and Drew occupy the outfield positions. Brandon Moss would be called upon to step into the fourth outfielder role.
Second and less likely, they could try to land a power hitter in a trade or via free agency. The list of usual suspects is topped by Reds outfielder Adam Dunn; MLB Trade Rumors throws Barry Bonds, Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, Brian Giles, Raul Ibanez and Milton Bradley into the mix, as well. There are a few very intriguing options in there (Dunn, Bay, Nady... basically everyone besides Bonds and Giles), but everyone except baseball's infamous asterisked record holder would presumably command an unacceptably steep price in a deal. The Sox certainly have the pieces to deal, but as the saying goes, they aren't going to mortgage their future for a short-term solution. Personally, I'd love to see Dunn taking advantage of the short right field line at Fenway, but a deal seems unlikely for at least the next couple of weeks, meaning we'll be relying on a lineup of Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youkilis, Ramirez, Lowell, Drew, Varitek, Crisp and Lugo. It's still a very formidable 1-9, but it doesn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers without Papi in there.
UPDATE / 6.03 / 1:07 PM: The Providence Journal is reporting that hard hitting Chris Carter will be called up from Triple A Pawtucket to assume David Ortiz's roster spot. It appears that at least initially, Carter will get the bulk of his work at DH and may see some time in the outfield, as well.
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