Red Sox Ortiz Heads to DL After All

No. 22 is unlucky for the Red Sox. On Wednesday, David Ortiz became the 22nd Boston player to land on the disabled list this season. The decision was made a day after it was announced by Bobby Valentine that he would miss a week and not be placed on the DL.

“He got a second opinion and it was the same opinion he got here, which said that he’s gong to be 10 to 14 days, so we’re putting him on the disabled list and we’re activating Mauro Gomez,” Valentine told Boston sports talk radio station, WEEI, on Wednesday afternoon.

Ortiz injured an Achilles tendon while rounding second base after Adrian Gonzalez slugged a three-run home run in the eighth inning of Boston’s 5-1 victory over the White Sox on Monday night.

Initially, the Red Sox hoped that Ortiz would quickly recover and not require a DL stint, but considering that an Achilles tendon injury can turn serious and even cause a player to miss a long stretch of games (as the Phillies have learned with Ryan Howard), it was wise to give Ortiz a couple weeks to heal.

Earlier this season, the Red Sox played short-handed after Dustin Pedroia suffered a torn adductor muscle in one of this thumbs. Pedroia missed a week instead of going on the DL, struggled at the plate when he returned and eventually injured another part of the same thumb, requiring a trip to the DL. Reportedly, Pedroia’s thumb has healed and he will be activated for Thursday night’s Red Sox-White Sox series finale at Fenway Park.

According to an MRI, Ortiz did not tear or rupture the Achilles tendon, which is good news for the designated hitter, who wants a multi-year deal after his contract expires this season, and the Red Sox, which have dealt with a multitude of injuries to key players this season.

Ortiz has been the lone consistent hitter in the Red Sox lineup this season. He has a .316 average and a 1.024 OPS along with 23 homers and 58 RBI.

Gomez will share time with Daniel Nava and Carl Crawford at DH while Ortiz is on the DL. The 27-year-old minor leaguer veteran, who has posted some impressive career power numbers in the Braves and Red Sox systems but just made his major league debut earlier this month against the Yankees, has thrived in the International League with a .317 average and a 1.005 OPS to accompany 20 homers and 49 extra-base hits in 73 games.

Gomez was 7-for-16 with three RBI in Boston’s four-game series against the Yankees before the All-Star break. He was optioned to Pawtucket last Saturday but was summoned