Francona: Reports on Ortiz are encouraging

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Try as he might, Red Sox manager Terry Francona said he was unable to reach David Ortiz yesterday on his cellphone.

``His [message] box was full," Francona said. ``And I have the hot line."

Francona did, however, speak with Dr. Larry Ronan, the team internist overseeing the battery of tests Ortiz is undergoing for an irregular heartbeat, and the news was encouraging. Ortiz has not experienced a recurrence of the irregular heartbeat that led to his return to Boston Monday night, Francona said.

``David is doing real well," Francona said of the slugger who has not played since Sunday in Seattle, where he hit his American League-leading 47th home run.

But it was too soon, Francona said, to forecast a timetable for Ortiz's return. ``If, when, I don't think we have any idea," Francona said. ``He's doing OK. He's got more tests."

The club issued a statement late yesterday afternoon in which it reiterated that doctors are attempting to determine the cause of Ortiz's symptoms, and that Ortiz has had multiple consultations with specialists at Massachusetts General Hospital.

``The testing and evaluation will continue throughout the remainder of this afternoon and evening," the statement read. ``David will remain in the hospital tonight. He is resting comfortably and is in good spirits."

The Sox return home to begin a 10-game homestand tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays. Francona has repeatedly said Ortiz will not be allowed to take the field until doctors are satisfied there is no risk involved.

John W. Henry, the team's majority owner, has spoken with Ortiz about his own experiences with an irregular heartbeat, known as atrial fibrillation. Ortiz also has spoken with teammate Alex Cora, who in 1999 while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers said he experienced an irregular heartbeat but did not seek medical treatment until an episode in winter ball in his native Puerto Rico.

``I couldn't stop it," Cora said. ``I kind of blacked out and went to the hospital. Then they sent me to LA."

Cora said he had the option of taking medication for the problem, but instead elected to undergo a procedure known as catheter radiofrequency ablation, which is used to destroy the abnormal heart tissue causing the irregular heartbeat. The procedure does not involve open chest surgery. Instead, as described on the Mayo Clinic's website, catheters are threaded through the patient's blood vessels to reach the abnormal tissue, and the cardiologist then uses a small cutter or radiofrequency energy to remove the abnormal tissue.

Cora said he had to have the procedure repeated within two months before the problem was resolved. He has not had another episode, he said, in more than six years.

``I mentioned it to [Ortiz]," Cora said. ``Hopefully, he doesn't have to go through that. They gave me the option of taking medicine, but I didn't want go the rest of my life being scared, so I thought this was the best way to have it 100 percent resolved. But whatever [Ortiz's issue] is, if it's serious they've got to take care of it."