KANSAS CITY — Despite feeling a "clicking" in his left wrist Monday night, David Ortiz served as the Red Sox' DH in Tuesday night's 8-2 win over the Royals here and maintained that he can play through the soreness he's feeling.
Ortiz missed all of June and most of July, sidelined with a torn sheath covering a tendon in his wrist. He heard the click in his ninth-inning at-bat during Boston's 4-3 loss to the Royals in the series opener.
"I'm all right," said Ortiz. "I've been dealing with this, up and down. But I'll be all right. It's been affecting me for two months. I've got to deal with it for the rest of the season. But I feel fine today."
Aside from some discomfort, the issue may be more mental for Ortiz.
"It gets in your head," he said. "(You start thinking) 'Should I not swing?' But that's something that's hard to control. The doctor warned me it's going to be like that until I don't play for a few months."
Ortiz said he has felt the clicking "a few times" since returning to the lineup on July 25, "but not like it felt (Monday night)."
Manager Terry Francona said the Red Sox weren't terribly concerned.
"Like we said all along," Francona noted, "we knew that was going to happen. I'd say reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated. I told him to make sure to tell me (if he needs to rest)."
Francona, too, said Monday night was probably more of a mental hurdle that Ortiz had to clear.
"Maybe this will be good," he said, noting that Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell dealt with the same uncertainty after a similar injury. "Maybe it's a good step."
Tuesday night, Ortiz was just 1 for 5, but his first-inning single gave the Red Sox their first run and snapped a stretch of nine consecutive at-bats without a hit.
Sean McAdam writes for the Providence Journal.
