Criticism from the media doesn’t affect the way David Ortiz plays. A sore oblique, however, is a different story. And Big Papi revealed last night that that’s the reason for his week-long slump.

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

John Farrell said that Ortiz’s bench time during Sunday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays was just a routine day off, but apparently there was a bit more to it.

“It’s been like that for a while,” Ortiz after last night's game. “That’s why I’ve been pulling everything, it feels like. Hopefully it doesn’t get any worse.” Ortiz also said he believes that muscle flared on a swing during the Texas Rangers series.

At 37 years old, Ortiz is getting up there in baseball player years. After getting some rest for the first three weeks of April for sore heels, Papi came back strong, continuing the hitting streak he held at the end of last season. But during the past week or so, he has faltered, going 2-for-18 against the Minnesota Twins and 1-for-7 in the two games he played against the Blue Jays. Hopefully the three-run homer he hit against the Tampa Bay Rays last night is a sign of him feeling a little better.

But this is something the Sox should expect from Ortiz. He has the same skills that he’s always had, but as an older player, he’s prone to more injuries and will need more rest. Still, his oblique issue is not expected to put him back on the disabled list as of now.

“It wasn’t bothering me that much (yesterday), but it’s still a little bit (sore),” Ortiz said in the same press conference. “It’s not at the point where you’ve pulled it, because if you pull it, you’re definitely not going to be able to play. I just come in early and treat it and try to move forward.”