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David Ortiz bumped home plate umpire John Tumpane on April 19, and it was pretty clear he was going to have to serve his suspension eventually even if he appealed it. He has now lost that appeal, according to WEEI's Rob Bradford, and will miss Friday night's series opener against the Blue Jays.
It comes at a bit of an awkward time for the Red Sox, as Shane Victorino has just now started his rehab assignment and Hanley Ramirez isn't yet back after crashing into the outfield wall and hurting his shoulder. Thankfully, the Red Sox can make this work for one night between Brock Holt, Allen Craig, and Daniel Nava, and then Ortiz will be available in his usual capacity as Boston's designated hitter for Saturday's game in Toronto.
Ortiz is off to a slow start in 2015, batting .242/.333/.421. That's still good for a 111 OPS+, and that's great for a designated hitter, but it's not his usual work. Maybe two days off in a row for the 39-year-old slugger will be good for him in the long run, even if he had no desire for this second off night.