Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz headed to DL

June 2, 2008 @ 18:26:51

By Michael Egnak
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

The Associated Press reports Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (wrist) will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a partially torn tendon in his left wrist, according to manager Terry Francona. The injury was determined to be a torn ECU tendon sheath. Surgery is unlikely and Ortiz will be placed on the disabled list Tuesday, June 3, according to Francona. The team is hoping Ortiz will not be out for long, but Francona did not want to speculate how much time Ortiz would miss.

The team loses one of its top offensive threats for an undetermined period, as Ortiz has mashed 13 homers on the year and driven in 43 runs while scoring 36. He is hitting .252 on the year, but his batting average was only .198 at the end of April; he hit .318 in May. Washington Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson (wrist) is on the disabled list with a similar injury, and he was projected to miss four to six weeks. It's not known whether Ortiz's injury is of the same severity as Johnson's.

The team has not announced who will be the designated hitter while Ortiz is out, but outfielder Manny Ramirez has been filling in at the position. Jacoby Ellsbury has shifted to left field and outfielder Coco Crisp has been patrolling center. The result is a speedy outfield and the replacement of a power bat with another fast baserunner.

Ortiz owners will want to stash the masher away, as he is obviously too good to cut. Crisp will see the most benefit, as he should be in the lineup on a more consistent basis while Ortiz is out. Crisp is batting just .250 on the year and has just 128 at-bats this season, but he has stolen seven bases so far. Crisp is worth picking up in deep mixed leagues, but he shouldn't be started on fantasy teams unless additional speed is needed or he goes on a hot streak.

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Michael Egnak
Michael Egnak is a Hot Off The Wire Analyst at KFFL and has been with the company since 2005. Covering both NFL and MLB, Egnak is also a key contributor to KFFL's fantasy services.

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