David Ortiz To Have Shot in Achilles With Hopes To Return This Season

First reports had David Ortiz hitting the 15-day DL with uncertainty surrounding his availability for the remainder of the season.  Now the 36-year old slugger plans on receiving a Platelet-rich plasma or “PRP” injection as Gary Washburn of the Globe puts it, with hopes that he can return for the final month of the season.

The procedure is simple enough but how it works is complicated.  Washburn does an excellent job of explaining it as presented by the Mayo Clinic website.

“PRP is derived from the patient’s own blood, a process that involves spinning a blood sample at high speeds. One byproduct is plasma, which contains a high concentration of platelets — thus the name platelet-rich plasma. Doctors have found that about 70 percent of those receiving PRP therapy showed improvement.”

The balance of the 2012 season for Big Papi now belongs to chance and here’s to hoping that his odds lie in the 70th percentile.  His Achilles needs rest and it likely didn’t help that he exerted and stressed it on Friday night, his first game back off the DL, when he roped a double and had to hurry to second base.

Thankfully surgery is not necessary for the injury, but if Ortiz is serious about not letting this injury affect his career, then rest he needs and should probably consider sitting out longer than the two week span that the DL calls for.

The Red Sox have made it known that they want Big Papi back next season and plan on discussing a multi-year deal with his agent. Having an injury hanging over the negotiations won’t help anyone, so Papi needs to take care of this thing now and get ready for next season.  Everyone else is already looking to next year and as much as a competitor that Ortiz is, he needs to do the same.