The Red Sox are hopeful that David Ortiz (heels) will return in mid-April. It remains to be seen whether that timeline will be realistic. Ortiz hasn't swung a bat in eight days and is still dealing with pain in both of his heels. Fantasy owners should have a backup plan in place for the first month of the season.

David Ortiz (heels) won't swing a bat on Monday. Red Sox manager John Farrell was hoping that Ortiz would be ready to take live batting practice, but the veteran DH is still feeling pain in his both of his heels. The Red Sox will continue to limit him to light workouts until he's pain-free. Ortiz will open the 2013 regular season on the 15-day disabled list.

David Ortiz is still feeling discomfort in his heels when he runs on the treadmill. It could result in his scheduled batting practice session on Monday being cancelled. The Red Sox have expressed optimism that Ortiz's sore heels won't be a long-term issue, but the ailment has already dragged on longer than expected. Big Papi will begin the season on the disabled list.

David Ortiz (heels) is expected to resume taking batting practice on Monday. If that goes OK, he'll increase his activity from there. Ortiz is nursing inflammation in both of his heels, but the Red Sox aren't worried that it will be a long-term issue. That said, he'll start the year on the DL and will be a heath risk heading into 2013.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe was told by a team source that the Red Sox aren't worried about a long-term situation with David Ortiz's sore heels. Ortiz has been shut down until at least this weekend due to inflammation in both of his heels. An MRI revealed that his current discomfort isn't directly related to his right Achilles, so it appears that the Red Sox are just playing things safe. Still, it's highly unlikely that he'll be ready for Opening Day at this point. Ryan Lavarnway and Mike Napoli are both candidates to fill in at the DH spot while Mike Carp could see increased duties at first base.

David Ortiz (Achilles) admitted Monday that being ready for Opening Day is "not realistic," and his goal is to be healthy for "five and a half months." Big Papi has been shut down for the next 5-7 days while he deals with inflammation in both of his heels. All things considered, it could be much worse, as the MRI came back relatively clean. Ortiz will hope to be back by mid-April. In the meantime, the Red Sox are likely to use Ryan Lavarnway in the DH spot, with Mauro Gomez also in the mix.

David Ortiz will be shut down 5-7 days with non-Achilles inflammation in both of his heels. The Red Sox are saying that the inflammation is in the left heel of Ortiz more than the right heel that he hurt last year. While he hasn't been officially ruled out, Ortiz is highly doubtful to be ready for Opening Day and is a candidate to being the season on the disabled list. Ryan Lavarnway and Mauro Gomez are candidates to replace him at designated hitter until he's ready to return. Jackie Bradley Jr. could also play himself into the mix.

David Ortiz (Achilles, legs) underwent an MRI on both of his heels Saturday. Ortiz has been dealing with soreness in his heels, so the MRI is just a precautionary measure to rule out anything serious. The Red Sox continue to express optimism that he'll be ready for the start of the season.

Red Sox manager John Farrell stated Friday that the team still hasn't ruled out having David Ortiz (Achilles, legs) ready for Opening Day. Ortiz did some light running drills on Thursday, and will again on Saturday. They maintain that there is still plenty of time to get Ortiz enough at-bats for him to be ready for the opener. While he only qualifies at DH or utility in most fantasy leagues, he's still a tremendous run producer and a potential impact player when he's healthy.

David Ortiz (Achilles, legs) did some light running Thursday. Ortiz is currently dealing with leg soreness which is not specific to his Achilles, but the good news is that he felt better Thursday than he did on Wednesday. While he admitted that he couldn't play if the season started today, but he continues to express optimism that he'll be ready for Opening Day.