In 2008, Ortiz started slowly after suffering a wrist injury which caused him to miss several weeks. He played in a total of 109 games and finished the season with 23 home runs and 89 RBI while batting .264. Despite his struggles, Ortiz was named to his fifth All-Star team. In the playoffs, Ortiz batted just .186 over two rounds as the Red Sox ultimately fell to the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Championship Series.