Daily Red Sox Links: Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, David Ortiz

The following is a list of names of players who have played outfield this season for the Red Sox: Cody Ross, Daniel Nava, Ryan Sweeney, Adrian Gonzalez, Scott Podsednik, Darnell McDonald, Che-Hsuan Lin, Lars Anderson, Brent Lillibridge, Jason Repko, Nate Spears, Marlon Byrd and Ryan Kalish. That's 13 names, which is way more than any fan would like to see, especially since five of them have gotten at least 99 plate appearances. Well, it seems the shuffling may finally be coming to an end soon, with two stars climbing the minor league ladder in their rehab stints. (Tim Britton; Providence Journal)(Tim Britton; Providence Journal)

• With the surprising play from many of those outfielders, especially Nava and Podsednik, the Sox will have some difficult decisions to make in order to make room for Ellsbury and Crawford. (Chris Cwik; Fangraphs)
• Back in 2009, much of Boston was calling for Ortiz's release. That now seems like centuries ago. Midway through the 2012 season, Ortiz is the undisputed MVP of the Red Sox. (Tony Massarotti; Boston.com)

• Speaking of offensive MVPs for the Red Sox this season, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is having a high-caliber year of his own. However, is he the catcher of the future? (Alex Convery; Fire Brand of the AL)
• The last ten games have been a whirlwind of sorts for the Sox, with this west coast trip taking some air out of the offense's tires. John Leary takes a closer look at this past stretch. (Note: His article was written prior to last night's crushing loss in Oakland. /shakes fist while yelling "PUNTOOOO!") (John Leary; Green Line Outfit)
• We're officially at the midpoint of the season today. With that, Tom Verducci has released his midseason award winners. Despite a lack of Red Sox representatives, and his declaration of wanting to see volume over "pretty rate stats", his list seems solid enough to me. (Tom Verducci; Sports Illustrated)