72 replies to this topic

[Yazdog8]

Per Speier and Bradford on Twitter.

[Dogman2]

Damn you Ras.

This is the sensible move. Let him spend 15 days healing and at least have someone in his spot.

Edited by Dogman2, 18 July 2012 - 01:55 PM.

[Van Everyman]

Is there a reason we aren't bringing up Lavarnway instead? Salty can play backup 1B if necessary.

[glennhoffmania]

As has been suggested in other threads, isn't the perfect solution to DH Crawford? I'd much rather see Nava or Sweeney in LF than Gomez at DH.

[EddieYost]

Or just DH Nava or Sweeney if they want Crawford to play LF for whatever reason.

[SoxScout]

Is there a reason we aren't bringing up Lavarnway instead? Salty can play backup 1B if necessary.

Gomez is a better hitter?

[Yazdog8]

Gomez is a better hitter?

And they would be playing him where he could do the least amount of damage with the glove...

[Dogman2]

Is there a reason we aren't bringing up Lavarnway instead? Salty can play backup 1B if necessary.

We have 2 backup outfielders and a backup catcher. I think the Gomez call is necessary.

[bosockboy]

There's a chance Crawford is being showcased. Nightengale says Dan Jennings is in Boston scouting Crawford....gotta let him play the field if so.

[trekfan55]

In all likelihood Gomez is not up to be the DH. He will serve as a backup 1B and they will probably rotate the DH spot.

I like the idea of him resting for 15 days and the team not having a dead roster spot. But I do wonder what was the result of the 2nd opinion he went for. Hopefully this a 15 day thing and he comes back as soon as eligible.

[glennhoffmania]

The whole point would be to not put additional stress on Carl's elbow. This seems like a no brainer if it's in fact true that it could snap at any time.

[trekfan55]

I'm not 100% sold on the "could blow at any minute" notion on Crawford's elbow.

And Gomez is DHing tonight. Not sure I agree with it. At least he is not hitting 3rd.

[SoxScout]

And Gomez is DHing tonight. Not sure I agree with it. At least he is not hitting 3rd.

Why not? He is hitting .337/.373/.779 vs LHP in AAA this year.

[JakeRae]

Gomez is a better hitter?

It's not at all clear who is a better hitter. Going into this season, Lavarnway was clearly superior. Gomez has seen his power surge this year while Lavarnway's has dropped off. In the latter case, it would make sense that this is due to an increase in his time behind the plate and an emphasis on defense over offense. In the former, this could be a genuine breakout, a career year, or just a great half season where his power should be expected to regress to his career levels. Lavarnway is clearly superior at drawing walks and getting on base, so you really need to buy into Gomez having superior power for it to make sense to call Gomez a superior hitter, and doing that based on one season rather than the player's respective careers is questionable, at best.

I don't think there is a huge offensive difference between the two but would've called up Lavarnway because there is greater organizational utility in getting him MLB AB than there is in doing the same for Gomez given their relative prospect statuses.

[SoxScout]

so you really need to buy into Gomez having superior power for it to make sense to call Gomez a superior hitter, and doing that based on one season rather than the player's respective careers is questionable, at best.

589 AAA .296/.387/.524

876 AAA .309/.361/.562

Career AAA numbers, what would you call that, a tie, nearly identical wOBA. Gomez has 200 more PA to his track record and is much more productive at the plate this year. No problem saying he is a better hitter than Lavarnway at this point in history.

Edited by SoxScout, 18 July 2012 - 02:45 PM.

[Plympton91]

My guess is they want Lavarnway getting as many reps behind the plate as possible, so calling him up to DH for 2 weeks is not optimal.

And, as Scout noted, Gomez is likely up to DH and PH against lefthanders, with Nava continuing to get ABs vs righties.

Seems like a defensible move to me.

Like others have said, I hope that this is precautionary, and not an indication of a markedly grimmer outlook from the 2,d opinion.

[Lose Remerswaal]

Is there a reason we aren't bringing up Lavarnway instead? Salty can play backup 1B if necessary.

How much first base experience does Salty have?

Spoiler

I'll tell you: 1 inning in the past 5 years.

[trekfan55]

Bobby V says Ortiz will need a week to 10 days "before he's ready to go"

Mike Fine

[mauidano]

Mauro did not impress much recently with the opportunity here. Sure he can rake at AAA but so can a lot of guys. It doesn't count in the Bigs. Not feeling happy or thrilled with the whole turn of events with Papi and all this DH shit but no surprise and here we go, like it or not.

[Laschelle Tarver]

.308/.333/.423 in his limited time up. That last game against Tampa (0 for 4 with about 122 men LOB) sticks out in everyone's mind, but he also had three games in a row with two hits or more.

Edited by Laschelle Tarver, 18 July 2012 - 04:15 PM.

[Carl Everetts Therapist]

.308/.333/.423 in his limited time up. That last game against Tampa (0 for 4 with about 122 men LOB) sticks out in everyone's mind, but he also had three games in a row with two hits or more.

122 men left on base in a game would stick out in everyone's mind and man would that kill a guy's confidence.

All kidding aside, Gomez looked like he was pretty comfortable at the MLB level after his first couple games (in which he was playing out of position). He rarely looked overmatched and hit the ball hard more often than not.

He has had more than one year of success as well, last season for Gwinett he crushed the ball...

After being sent back down this year he proceeded to continue mashing, which is a good sign that his head was on straight. He seems like a decent DH type and your typical lefty masher.

The only reason you'd want Lavarnway over Gomez would be to see if he can come up and hit well enough to make Shoppach expendable....reports have the Mets very interested in Shoppach so it'd be nice to see if Lavarnway is ready. Nothing against Shoppach as he's been better than advertised as a slugging righty backup with a decent arm to slow down the run game.

It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to carry 3 catchers at points this year as both Lavarnway and Shoppach could be used to PH late in games against Lefties with our all lefty top 4 coming up.

[Lose Remerswaal]

I would hope (almost expect) that he'd be more comfortable in the Bigs in the DH role where he knows that his glove can't get him in trouble like it did his last time up.

[JakeRae]

589 AAA .296/.387/.524

876 AAA .309/.361/.562

Career AAA numbers, what would you call that, a tie, nearly identical wOBA. Gomez has 200 more PA to his track record and is much more productive at the plate this year. No problem saying he is a better hitter than Lavarnway at this point in history.

Their AAA numbers are a tie therefore you have no problem saying Gomez is a better hitter? That makes no sense. But, moving on from that, let's dig a little bit deeper.

Player A: 559 AA PA, .281/.349/.471; 1101 A+ PA, .267/.306/.453; 541 A PA, .262/.316/.445
Player B: 429 AA PA, .284/.375/.503; 360 A+ PA, .289/.392/.487; 466 A PA, .285/.367/.540

Player A is Gomez. Player B is Lavarnway. These guys are not equivalent hitters unless you only want to look at the last 1.5 seasons. Now, if the idea is to platoon Gomez and Nava, I understand leaving Lavarnway down since he is best served by getting regular PA and time behind the plate. Even if Gomez is the everyday DH, I'm not objecting too strenuously as the difference in quality isn't that big over the last few years and the organization could reasonably believe that time behind the plate is more important to Lavarnway's development than 2 weeks against MLB pitching. But, Gomez is not a better offensive player than Lavarnway.

[Corsi]

Ortiz said he's feeling better and he'll still be able to take BP in cage with the walking cast.

https://twitter.com/...047015774220288

[Return of the Dewey]

David Ortiz's return likely delayed

[BrooklynDog45]

Can they please call up someone who justifies the DH spot? Gomez or Lavarnway please. The two year Punto contract is holding 25 man roster hostage for some reason. Only 2 of 3 (Aviles, Cirico, Punto) are needed on 25 man.

[Harry Hooper]

According to Francona last night on ESPN, David told him he would be well enough to play Thursday.

[SoxScout]

NEW YORK -- Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz canceled his planned exercises in Yankee Stadium on Sunday, making it unlikely that he will return from the disabled list on Wednesday, when he is first eligible to come back.
Ortiz told ESPNdeportesLosAngeles.com that he could neither jog nor bat in New York before the last game of the series between the Red Sox and Yankees, but he keeps receiving therapy on his right heel.
Ortiz said he felt a slight pain in his heel on Saturday and will not perform baseball activities until Tuesday, which practically makes it impossible for him to return on Wednesday. The most optimistic forecast for Ortiz is that he will be ready to return by the weekend.

http://espn.go.com/b...d-sox-wednesday

[Al Zarilla]

Papi's gettin' old. Takes longer to heal.

[Eric Van]

Can they please call up someone who justifies the DH spot? Gomez or Lavarnway please. The two year Punto contract is holding 25 man roster hostage for some reason. Only 2 of 3 (Aviles, Cirico, Punto) are needed on 25 man.

What's frustrating is that they're going to have to cut one of the trio when Ortiz comes off the DL anyway. Why not sooner rather than later?

[snowmanny]

I presume they are trying to trade Punto but are waiting for the market to develop.

[bloodysox]

I presume they are trying to trade Punto but are waiting for the market to develop.

A market for Punto? One exists to develop?

[snowmanny]

I meant to add: but they are delusional.

[mabrowndog]

Lauber

David Ortiz says he's probably 50 to 60 percent. It may be another 3-4 days before he does "power running" drills.

I'd be surprised to see him activated within the next two weeks.

[E5 Yaz]

Following the Red Sox' 6-4 win over the Twins Sunday, David Ortiz said that he may seek alternative treatment for his injured right Achilles tendon.
Ortiz, who was eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list last Wednesday, explained the proposed treatment is a kind of anestesia. The treatment would not be, however, any kind of shot, according to the designated hitter.
"I'm thinking about it. Not cortisone. I have to talk to the doctors," said Ortiz, who hasn't played since July 16. "I have to get more information. The doctors have given me some ideas because I'm still very sore. I have to talk to them to see what's up."

http://www.weei.com/...ative-treatment

Edited by E5 Yaz, 05 August 2012 - 05:10 PM.

[DaveRoberts'Shoes]

http://www.weei.com/...ative-treatment

I really have no idea what he's talking about here - I was thinking PRP or sonething, but that's a shot. 50/50 that he comes back this year.

[Rasputin]

It is entirely possible the Sox go through the entire season without having their #1 lineup on the field for a single game.

[smastroyin]

I think the alternative treatment is "rest rest rest rest rest and not worry about trying to re-arrange the deck chairs on this season"

[Bob Montgomery's Helmet Hat]

I think the alternative treatment is "rest rest rest rest rest and not worry about trying to re-arrange the deck chairs on this season"

From the team's perspective, perhaps, but for an aging big guy looking for a multi-year contract, I would think that coming back with some level of health this season is relatively important.

[mauidano]

From the team's perspective, perhaps, but for an aging big guy looking for a multi-year contract, I would think that coming back with some level of health this season is relatively important.

Papi wants to shop himself. Ending his season on a note like this really drives his market value down considerably. I would assume he'll give it a shot in a few days. he's just fucking himself and the Sox by lingering off the DL. it's not how you start, it's how you finish Papi.

[OCD SS]

I think it's safe to say the Sox were fucked well before Ortiz decided that he wasn't going to rush back on the field while still sore.

[SoxFanPJ]

Papi wants to shop himself. Ending his season on a note like this really drives his market value down considerably. I would assume he'll give it a shot in a few days. he's just fucking himself and the Sox by lingering off the DL. it's not how you start, it's how you finish Papi.

He is actually better off staying on the DL until he is healed and then coming back in September to establish his health.

If he comes back and suffers a reinjury it looks much worse.

Either way the ~$13 M qualifying offer is pretty big offer for a 37 year old DH coming off injury, particularly recurring or related injury.

[genivive]

I really have no idea what he's talking about here - I was thinking PRP or sonething, but that's a shot. 50/50 that he comes back this year.

Any chance he is talking about a nerve block?

[DaveRoberts'Shoes]

Any chance he is talking about a nerve block?

I don't think so - that will help for a day or so, but then you're right back where you started.

FWIW, I talked to one of the people who covers the team and he thinks Ortiz really has no idea what he's talking about here - not surprising, his job isn't to be a trainer or a doctor, it's to be a... designated hitter, I guess. I still think he might be referring to a PRP injection, but that's just speculation on my part.

[Jnai]

DRS, I wanted to ask you this yesterday but forgot:

Phiten Necklaces or PRP; are these closer in scientific merit at this point than we'd like to think?

[DaveRoberts'Shoes]

DRS, I wanted to ask you this yesterday but forgot:

Phiten Necklaces or PRP; are these closer in scientific merit at this point than we'd like to think?

There's about as much scientific literature to support both of these, unfortunately.

PRP makes you look like less of a DB, though.

[Red(s)HawksFan]

ScottLauber:

According to Bobby V, David Ortiz will have an injection in his right heel #RedSox

ESPNJoeyMac:

Ortiz did receive an injection today.

[DaveRoberts'Shoes]

ScottLauber:


ESPNJoeyMac:

Given that he got an injection today, I doubt he'll be back sooner than 10 days to 2 weeks at the soonest. Hopefully he gets DL'ed soonhangar her than later.

Edited by DaveRoberts'Shoes, 06 August 2012 - 04:29 PM.

[JakeRae]

Given that he got an injection today, I doubt he'll be back sooner than 10 days to 2 weeks at the soonest. Hopefully he gets DL'ed soonhangar her than later.

He's been on the DL since July 18th, retroactive to the 17th.

[DaveRoberts'Shoes]

He's been on the DL since July 18th, retroactive to the 17th.

I knew that. Why wouldn't I know that?

Ok, I forgot, whatever.