David Ortiz Won't Be Activated Wednesday

David Ortiz is eligible to return from the disabled list on Wednesday, in time for the series finale with the Detroit Tigers, but it doesn't appear as if he will come off of the DL then. According to Enrique Rojas of ESPN, Ortiz cancelled his Sunday workouts at Yankee Stadium, and is still feeling sore, two items that mean he might need a little more time to rest before coming back to Boston's lineup.

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.

The Red Sox have a four-game series against the Twins that begins on Thursday, their lone match-up against a team that's not in the playoff race in a stretch since they faced the Mariners at the end of June, and until they face Seattle once again at the start of September. The Indians are the only other club on the schedule that fits the bill, but even they sit just 4-1/2 games out of the AL Central lead. Not having Ortiz -- and by proxy, the lineup at full strength -- back in time to take on the Twins for all four games is a disappointing development.

Since Ortiz injured his Achilles back on July 16, the Red Sox have rotated players at the DH spot based on match-ups and availability, and they've hit a collective .239/.271/.348, whereas Ortiz was Boston's top hitter, leading the American League in both slugging percentage and OPS thanks to 48 extra-base hits in 89 games.