PAWTUCKET, R.I. — The crowd began chanting "Papi!" and David Ortiz responded, slamming a 1-2 pitch into the visitors' bullpen in his rehab debut in Pawtucket last night as he tries to work his way back from a wrist injury that has kept him out of the lineup since May 31.
Ortiz popped up to shortstop in his first at-bat. When he came up again to lead off the fourth inning, he fell behind 0-2 before the standing-room crowd began chanting his nickname; he homered off the top of the right-field wall and into the Toledo Mud Hens bullpen to give Pawtucket a 1-0 lead.
Two batters later, Red Sox catching prospect George Kottaras hit a two-run homer as the PawSox scored seven runs in the fourth.
Ortiz lined out to the first baseman in his third at-bat and walked in his fourth time up, taking his batting helmet off to acknowledge the standing ovation when he was lifted for a pinch runner.
Ortiz is scheduled to spend a week in the minors as he tries to work himself back into shape from a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist. He was originally scheduled to take Sunday off to rest, but he said he wanted to play all four games in Pawtucket before heading to Double-A Portland for three more.
He is expected to return to the Red Sox lineup on July 25 for the opener of a weekend series against the New York Yankees.
