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David Ortiz’s son gets first hit for Red Sox in MLB spring training game: ‘Hopefully, he was watching’
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- David Ortiz’s son gets first hit for Red Sox in MLB spring training game: ‘Hopefully, he was watching’
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — For the first time in more than a decade, an Ortiz got a hit for the Red Sox on Friday.
21-year-old D'Angelo Ortiz , the son of Hall of Famer David Ortiz who reached Single-A in his first professional season last year, got his first at-bat in a major league spring training game and made the most of it, lining a single off former Red Sox reliever Luis Guerrero in the ninth inning of a 2-0 loss to the Rays . The younger Ortiz hadn't checked his phone by the time he met with reporters after the game, but was hopeful his famous dad was watching from afar.
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"Hopefully, he was watching," Ortiz said, smiling. "If he wasn't watching, we've got a problem."
D'Angelo Ortiz, who spent much of his childhood in a major league clubhouse during the height of his dad's career, was drafted by the Red Sox in the 19th round of the 2024 draft. Last season, he started the year in rookie ball before going to Single-A Salem for 28 games and, in total, hit .269 with five doubles, a triple, 28 RBIs and a .666 OPS . A right-handed hitting infielder, Ortiz manned first base for the Red Sox against Tampa Bay . His entry into the game, as a defensive replacement for Willson Contreras in the sixth inning, had been a long time coming.
"The two times he has been up, it was the game against (the Rays) that got rained out, then we were going to Sarasota and it was canceled," said manager Alex Cora. "Today, I saw the lineup and I was like, 'We've got to find a way to play him.'
Added Ortiz: "That was amazing. I actually was supposed to play in JetBlue last week or a week and a half ago, and it got rained out the inning I was supposed to go in. I've been waiting to get out there."
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Facing Guerrero, who appeared in 22 games for the Red Sox over the last two years and was traded to Tampa Bay in November for infielder Tristan Gray , Ortiz stayed on a 1-2 sweeper and lined it the other way at 93.8 mph to lead off the ninth.
"He put a good at-bat," Cora said. "The swing before, the foul ball, he was on the pitch, then he stayed on the pitch and got a base hit."
Making the swing more impressive was that it came off a pitcher with major league experience and a high-octane fastball that hit 96 mph in Ortiz's at-bat.
"I feel like if I get out of my own approach and out of myself, I can make these guys seem way, way better," Ortiz said. "All of them have good stuff, so really just trying to see a pitch I can hit. That's a good pitcher and I've got a lot of respect for him."
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Before the game, Cora and Rays manager Kevin Cash (a Red Sox catcher in 2007 and 2008) reminisced about remembering D'Angelo Ortiz, then just three years old, around the ballpark and at the championship parade during the 2007 championship season. For Cora, it was another reminder of his age.
"I'm 50," Cora said.
On Saturday, Ortiz will likely return to minor league camp where he'll keep preparing for the regular season. In a week or so, he'll report to Salem or High-A Greenville and continue toiling away in the minors. On Friday, though, Ortiz was a big leaguer — and a productive one, just like his father had been for 20 major league seasons.
"I was excited. Every at-bat is an opportunity," Ortiz said. "It was definitely exciting to get out there. To get that hit, that was very special."
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