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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Struggling slugger David Ortiz is getting a break from the Boston Red Sox lineup.
Ortiz wasn't in the lineup for Thursday's series opener at Texas, following a five-game stretch when he had only one hit in 20 at-bats.
Red Sox manager John Farrell indicated before the game that Ortiz might be out of the lineup for a few games, giving him a chance to work on a few things.
"It's a combination of a few things," Farrell said. "There's some of (the mental aspect), there's some of what he's dealing with, battling a little bit, but I think more than anything, hopefully (he can) just take a little bit of a step back and regroup."
Ortiz is hitting .216 with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 43 games this season
Hanley Ramirez was the designated hitter for the series opener against the Rangers.
When talking about why Ortiz was getting a break, Farrell said he met with the slugger after Wednesday's at Minnesota.
"Kind of getting more of a sense of what he's dealing with while he's in the batter's box, plus what he's battling in addition to that," Farrell said. "We felt like, when he's right, that's when he's the most dangerous. We're just trying to get him right."
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