ARLINGTON, Texas — As his Red Sox teammates took batting practice on the field yesterday, David Ortiz stayed behind, consigned to work on his swing indoors.
Dave Magadan had seen this all before.
It was 2009 — May 15, to be exact — and Ortiz was batting .208 with no home runs and 15 RBI through 35 games. He had just gone 0-for-7 in a 12-inning road loss to the Los Angeles Angels, and with the Red Sox opening a three-game series in Seattle against the Mariners, manager Terry Francona decided the best thing would be for the designated hitter to sit out a few games, clear his mind and have a few private sessions with Magadan, then the Sox hitting coach.