"Because it's kind of loose, every time I move my hand, the tendon just pops, so with this [cast] right here, it won't allow me to move my hands around. So it will probably give the tendon the opportunity to go back to where it's supposed to be."
There was optimism around Fenway Park yesterday. The plan is to keep Ortiz in his cast for two weeks. If there is no pain by then, he will work toward returning to the field. If there is no pain but the "clicking" in his wrist continues (the tendon coming in and out of the sheath), he might be able to get through the season before needing surgery. If there is still pain, then in-season surgery might be necessary.
"The tendon itself is unaffected; it's completely intact," general manager Theo Epstein said. "It's not in jeopardy. What is partially torn is the sheath that holds the tendon in the groove.
"You remember Curt Schilling's ankle - it was the sheath that ruptured that meant the tendon was flapping back and forth. That was a full rupture of the sheath that held the peroneal tendon. In this case, it's a partial tear of the sheath that holds the tendon in place, the ECU tendon. So the integrity of the tendon hasn't been compromised at all.
"So that's why the doctors are pretty confident that if it's immobilized in this hard cast for a period of time, there's a significant chance it will heal itself in that time period, and we'll know it has because if David is pain-free and it's not tender when he gets out of the cast, then it will have resolved itself and he can start a progression."
While a comparison also has been made to Nomar Garciaparra, his 2001 wrist injury was far more severe. Garciaparra suffered a split tendon in his right wrist, which required surgery to repair, as well as the tendon sheath, and a piece of bone at the bottom of the sheath. The more apt comparison likely is Nick Johnson, the Nationals first baseman. Johnson tore the tendon sheath in his right wrist last month and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks.
