David Ortiz has missed 22 games with an Achilles injury, but thanks to the Novacaine-like injection he received on Monday, it appears as if he'll be returning to action sooner than later. Ortiz took batting practice on Tuesday, and ran the bases at full speed as part of agility drills for his Achilles on Wednesday prior to Boston's contest against the Texas Rangers. The results were positive, and because of this, Ortiz hopes he'll be active for the start of the series against the Cleveland Indians.
Manager Bobby Valentine seems to think this could happen, assuming there are no setbacks between now and then:
"He feels really good today," Valentine said. "Increasing the workload a little. We're not outside so he's not going to hit on the field. He'll hit in the cage. He feels really good."
Ortiz doesn't seem to be worried about his timing after the extended time off, and as mentioned earlier, with how poor Red Sox replacement designated hitters have done in Ortiz's stead, they might as well bring him back and hope for the best the moment his Achilles allows it.