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A month after his injury, David Ortiz has a message for the doubters 08.17.12 at 1:57 am ET
By Rob Bradford

David Ortiz

BALTIMORE – David Ortiz checks Twitter on occasion. Recently he has been surprised at some of what he has seen.

A few messages to @DavidOrtiz have actually questioned the designated hitter’s motivations regarding his return from his right Achilles tendon injury. It has been one month since he left the Red Sox’ lineup, and people are getting antsy.

Ortiz understands the impatience. What he doesn’t comprehend are the doubts.

“You’re talking to David Ortiz. I love being on the field. If I’m not on the field there’s a major reason,” he said. “I don’t just stop playing baseball because. You think with the season I’m having I want to be off the field? Hell no. As much as I mean to my team, and they need me, I want to be off the field? Nope. But injuries are injuries and the human body has a healing process.

“When it comes down to that, especially with my age and my situation I have to be smart about it. If something goes down and I re-aggravate my injury, it’s not going to be good for anybody.”

Ortiz took all three days in Baltimore off, only participating in regular training room treatment with no running or hitting. His hope is to return to the batting cage Friday, moving toward a return.

But with just six weeks remaining in the regular season, and Ortiz staring at another offseason of identifying his next contract, an uncomfortable topic is not being surfaced: the potential of not playing again this season.

“Hopefully not. I don’t see it that way,” he said regarding the possibility of shutting it down for the season. “I was talking to the doctor the other day and they told me, ‘Look, this is an injury where everybody is different. We put you on the 15-day disabled list, look at the MRI and we have seen guys heal up anywhere from three weeks to six weeks from this injury.’ Maybe I put a lot of pressure on that because I’m a big guy and it takes longer. Everybody is different. It’s something that happens. He said, ‘I know you are desperate for being on the field and are a little frustrated because you expected ready to go for the first few weeks and you’re walking into four weeks. But it’s a healing process.’”

Since Ortiz’ exited the lineup the Red Sox are 12-17, totaling the 15th-best OPS in baseball (.733) during the stretch. This after carrying the fourth-best OPS (.769) up until June 17.

And while the reality of free agency is on Ortiz’ radar, that isn’t what he’s currently prioritizing. Playing this season, he said, is the priority.

“Right now, to be honest with you, I’m only focused on seeing if I can go back and play. That’s all I really care about,” he said. “But at the same time, I want to play but I don’t want to re-injure the injury that is already there. Forget about what’s going to happen next year. Forget about what’s going to happen this offseason. I want to make sure, me personally, when I go out there I can keep on playing and I’m not going to be afraid to make a move or do anything.

“The doctor told me this is an injury that has a lot of ups and downs when I start playing. If I’m capable of going out and playing, that’s fine with me. If I’m capable of going out and playing, I don’t have a problem with that.”

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  • http://www.facebook.com/jherrera617 Joseph Jonathan Herrera

     This is really a non-issue.  It’s in Ortiz’s best interest to play as soon as he can, as at his age other teams will want to be sure he is completely healthy in a contract year.  During his Red Sox career he’s only had two seasons (the first he wasn’t full time until June) before this one where he played in less than 145 games.  When he’s healthy, he’ll play.  This isn’t Manny Ramirez pouting on the bench in 2008.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jherrera617 Joseph Jonathan Herrera

     This is really a non-issue.  It’s in Ortiz’s best interest to play as soon as he can, as at his age other teams will want to be sure he is completely healthy in a contract year.  During his Red Sox career he’s only had two seasons (the first he wasn’t full time until June) before this one where he played in less than 145 games.  When he’s healthy, he’ll play.  This isn’t Manny Ramirez pouting on the bench in 2008.

  • Paul

    I don’t believe it is in his best interest to avoid getting back and doubt seriously that that is the case.He needs to get back on the field and produce otherwise the contract discussions will be venomous(they may be anyways). On that subject I would offer 2 years and 20. If he baks let him walk , he wont get that anywhere else.

  • Bielawski82

    who questions Ortiz’s motivation?  I can’t imagine how anyone, let alone a Sox fan, could question this guy’s drive with a straight face.

  • aikman19

    Leader?!? No way. He’s out for number 1. Even said so when he said that because he was in a free-agent year, he wasn’t going to risk more injury. Is that a team player (leader?!?)? No way. He is a selfish turd who fits in perfectly with this team. Always has been about himself.

  • matt

    the season is over… he should get as close to 100% as he can.  He is obviously concerned about his free-agency and being healthy enough to cash in (although not sure anyone pays him more than the sox).  95% of us would do the same thing.  Problem is, I think the damage to the perception of his durability for next year is already shot… achilles is a tricky injury.

  • Mememe

    “When it comes down to that, especially with my age and my situation I have to be smart about it.”
    That tells you all you need to know… he says “when it comes to my situation” he means his contract year situation.  And further, becasue of his “situation” hes not taking any chances whatsoever.  If he had a big deal in place already he would have been back weeks ago, like he initially said he would be.  And why is he afraid of 1 cortisone injection? He refuses even 1 shot which will help for sure.  He refuses because hes dogging it.  Thanks ortiz, have fun in pinstripes next season.  

    To quote David Ortiz in a 2009 postgame interview when he was awful the first half… “JUST WRITE PAPI STINKS”

    no problem, Papi.  

  • Navy1662

    Some fans are just as bad or worse than the media, David, dont tweet them anymore they are idiots, they think the team needs to win a world series every year and players need to be on the field everyday no matter what. They know nothing about the game and they know nothing about you , so keep doing what ur doing !!!

  • AL34

    The issue I have is that I know he iis worried about his free agency next year, but the team is paying him 16 million for this year. If I did this as a soldier, by not fighting when I was hurt we would lose the war on terror. Sorry but my feelings regarding this are a little different.

  • BIG A

    Why hurry back, this team isn’t going anywhere

  • Afam

    A hate labeling a fan but i see alot of pink hate fans here and im a die hard red sox fan.This is the part of fan base Lucchino and co are coveting and hoping they fill fenway and buy tickets.Im sorry but i will never go to fenway especially to waste my hard earned money on this fraud,overpaid,lazy players.

  • Gary

     It just a ‘slight’ difference between playing baseball and being a soldier in a war. How you can compare the two is beyond comprehension. 

  • anguillaman3

    Meanwhile…Mr. GYRO…the guy they said could throw 300 innings a year….YUP DUDK is on week 7 out of his “vacation” due to a sore neck…what a freakin baby.

  • AL34

    I fought in Iraq hurt for 13 months on the invasion having five operations on my shoulder and a major one on my bak when I got home. We were all hurt but many of us did not come off of the line because we were so short of personnel in Baghdad in the early war. In other words webhad heart whichna lot of players on thisnteam do not.

  • Anonymous

    A serious mistake to reply to every silly fan comment.

  • aikman19

    Gary, you can’t comprehend because you’re not terribly bright, and you’ve probably not done either. There are no similarities between a playing a baseball game and fighting a war. I don’t believe that was the point. The point was the TEAM. And there are tremendous similarties between a soldiers and teammates. Everyone depends heavily on the other. As soon as one (teammate or soldier) starts thinking selfishly (like all the Red Sox but particularly Ortiz and Beckett), teh whole unit suffers.
    Yes, the repercussions in war are more dire than losing a game, but the point is absolutely valid.
    The Red Sox are fat, lazy and sefish. And David Ortiz is the poster child.

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