Report: Ortiz out indefinitely

Jun 3, 2008 - 2:29 AM BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Boston Red Sox may be without designated hitter David Ortiz for a very, very long time.

According to a report in the Boston Herald on Monday, Ortiz will be out for at least the next month after suffering a left wrist injury while swinging on Saturday night.

The report said the slugger had an X-ray after Saturday's game that came back clean but was sent back to Boston a day early Monday to undergo an MRI on the ailing wrist. The MRI revealed a partial tear in his ECU tendon sheath.

A source told the Herald that Ortiz will have to keep the wrist immobilized for roughly a month to see if the injury can heal on its own. If not, he will need season-ending surgery.

The four-time All-Star recently was named Boston's Player of the Month for May after batting .318 with eight homers and 22 RBI in the month.

For the season, Ortiz leads the team with 13 homers and 43 RBI - ranking third in the American League in both categories.

The 32-year-old Ortiz has finished in the top five in AL MVP voting in each of the last five years and combines with Manny Ramirez to provide the most fearsome 3-4 combination in the league.