No, David Ortiz is not coming back to the Red Sox. Probably.

Jason Foster

No, David Ortiz is not coming back to the Red Sox. Probably. image

Baseball Twitter was abuzz Wednesday after David Ortiz sent out a cryptic Instagram message hinting that the Red Sox’s acquisition of lefty ace Chris Sale could lure him out of retirement, presumably for the chance to win another World Series.

Calm down, Baseball Twitter. Ortiz is just trolling. He’s not coming back. Probably.

FAGAN: Who will replace Big Papi as the Red Sox DH? 

He was adamant throughout 2016 that it was his last season. Despite Ortiz’s historically monsterific Age 40 season (.315, 38 homers, 127 RBIs; 5.1 WAR), it makes little sense for him to make such an abrupt comeback.

Just because Ortiz defied baseball logic with his output in 2016, it’s far from certain that a 2017 season would be anywhere near as successful.

Father Time, as they say, remains undefeated. The body has a way of aging quickly, especially in a pro athlete who spent 20 years pushing his body to the limit over the six-plus months of a major league season. More than likely, Ortiz would need to play less (even as a DH) than in 2016, would take longer to recover from injuries and would lose at least a step/split second when he did play.

Still, that doesn’t mean Ortiz couldn’t or wouldn’t be productive for the Red Sox at age 41. The question is whether he’s willing to risk a potential mediocre or poor season as the ultimate epitaph of his career on the hope of one more World Series championship. My guess is no. Not after Ortiz ended his 20-year, probable Hall of Fame career on as high a note as is humanly possible for a 40-year-old.

Not to mention that the Red Sox just signed Mitch Moreland, who looks to play first base so Hanley Ramirez can be the primary DH. There's nowhere simple for Ortiz to play, at least not regularly. 

So, no, he won't play in 2017. Probably.

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There’s simply nothing left for him to prove. With three World Series titles already on his resume, would a fourth really add much? Would it really bring any real level of validation? Would history really seem him much differently?

Then again, maybe he’s holding out hope that he could duplicate his 2016 output and perhaps win AL MVP, the one thing that eluded him in an otherwise stellar career that included 10 All-Star appearances, seven Silver Slugger awards, a home run title and, yes, those three pretty rings.

But to expect that would be silly. It wouldn’t happen again. Not even close. At 41, that’s a pipe dream at best. Remember, Father Time is undefeated.

So, yeah, there won’t be a comeback. Probably.

No, Ortiz is going to spend his Age 41 year right where he told us he would — enjoying retirement. There’s no reason for him not to. He knows this.

He posted on Instagram to get a rise out of people, even though some folks have never believed he’d retire, despite his many proclamations.

No, you won’t see Big Papi in the lineup come April.

Probably.

Jason Foster

Jason Foster Photo

Jason Foster joined The Sporting News in 2015 after stops at various news outlets where he held a variety of reporting and editing roles and covered just about every topic imaginable. He is a member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and a 1998 graduate of Appalachian State University.