Has David Ortiz truly come back, or is he just going through a hot streak? His struggles have been well-documented since 2009 when his extended slump began, especially when he was dropped in the lineup for the first time in his career. In 2010, Ortiz has shown old signs of his form as he has blasted 19 home runs and has been selected as one of the American League All-Stars and will show up in Los Angeles for this week’s festivities.

After an April that saw him hitting just .143 with a single home run and four RBI in 56 at bats, Ortiz turned it on in May. He brought his average up to .272 and hit 10 more home runs. He didn’t go more than four games without a home run and had two multiple homer games in the month. June was slower for the slugger, but he did collect 20 runs and 22 RBI as the Sox rose through the ranks of the AL East.

July’s announcement of Ortiz’s All-Star selection was an unexpected honor considering how horrible Ortiz has been overall for the past season and a half, but along with his nod to play in Tuesday night’s game, he was also chosen as one of the Home Run Derby participants. Ortiz went into the break by hitting his first home run of the month against the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon, furthering his record for having the most home runs hit by a designated hitter.

Going into the break, Ortiz is now hitting .263 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI; numbers that are all true to form of an all-star like Ortiz. While the rest of the season may still prove challenging as nobody is quite sure what to expect from the 34-year-old designated hitter, the Red Sox can rest assured that Ortiz has settled back into the role he’s been asked to fill while the club struggles through their injury-plagued season.