David Ortiz To DL, Mauro Gomez Recalled

There might not be anything seriously wrong with David Ortiz's Achilles, but what is the matter is enough that he's moving to the disabled list, in order to keep the Red Sox from fielding a 24-man roster for a week or 10 days. While many hoped it would be Ryan Lavarnway who received the call to Boston in his stead, it's likely that the Red Sox want him to continue to develop behind the plate while he still can, in order to see how well his body handles the rigors of catching as often as he has of late.

In turn, this means that Mauro Gomez is back with the Red Sox, after a brief return to the minors. This is a legal transaction, despite the recent optioning to Pawtucket, as Ortiz is injured, and recalls within the 10-day period following a demotion are allowed for those.

Don't be alarmed by Gomez's presence over Lavarnway's, though, as the former has done his own share of damage to International League pitching. In 310 plate appearances and 73 games, Gomez owns a line of .317/.371/.634 with 20 homers and 49 extra-base hits. In his brief time in the majors, the right-hander has posted a 99 OPS+ with three of his eight hits going for two bases.

Granted, no one expects the 27-year-old Gomez to replicate his Triple-A numbers exactly, but he's on the 40-man roster already, and it's likely he can hit a bit, given the power he's displayed in 2012. At least he won't be asked to play third base this time around.

This is no given, but the fact Lavarnway remains in Pawtucket two weeks before the trade deadline also likely means that both Kelly Shoppach and Jarrod Saltalmacchia are here to stay in 2012. It's no definite, but if you're looking for it to be implied by this move, you can certainly sense that.