'Big Papi Will Be Back Soon': David Ortiz Issues First Statement

David Ortiz said he is back home and thanked everyone for their prayers in his first comments since being shot in the Dominican Republic. Ortiz, who was released from the hospital over the weekend, posted an update on Instagram Monday morning.

Later Monday afternoon, Ortiz issued a lengthy statement through a spokesperson.

“David Ortiz left Mass General Hospital this past Friday as he continues his recuperation from the injuries he suffered from a shooting in Santo Domingo on June 9, 2019.

Along with his wife, Tiffany, and his children, David wishes to offer his thanks and gratitude to Dr. Jose Abel Gonzalez and the medical team at the Center for Advanced Medicine in Santo Domingo, Dr. Larry Ronan and Dr. David King as well as all the doctors, nurses, and caregivers at Mass General. David commented, ‘They are some of the best teammates I have ever had.’

David wanted to acknowledge the prayers and good wishes from the Dominican Republic and Red Sox Nation. He also mentioned his gratitude to the Red Sox ownership, stating ‘My deep appreciation goes to John and Linda Henry, Tom Werner, Sam Kennedy and the entire Red Sox organization for providing the Red Sox plane that took me back to Boston from Santo Domingo and their continuing assistance to me and my family.’

David gave special thanks to Pam Kenn of the Red Sox ‘For the help and support she gave Tiffany in providing the media updates on my medical condition.’ And Tiffany Ortiz expressed her appreciation and gratitude to Phil Morse, Vice Chairman of the Board of the Red Sox, ‘For his special acts of kindness and concern during a difficult time for me and my family.’

David plans to spend the next several weeks focusing on his recovery. David said, ‘I am feeling good, but know I need to do my rehab just like I did when I was recovering from injuries playing baseball.’

While he is asking for privacy for the time being, David stated, ‘Big Papi will be back soon.’”

In his Instagram post, he also lamented the fact that he still can't eat solid foods 50 days after the shooting. That presumably didn't stop him from grilling a steak, which was the photo in the post.

Ortiz was shot in the back last June in his hometown of Santo Domingo, the Dominican capital. He has had three surgeries — one the night of the shooting in the Dominican and two in Massachusetts General Hospital — and had parts of organs removed.

Dominican authorities have said the shooting was a case of mistaken identity, with the gunman meaning to shoot a friend of Ortiz's who was wearing similar clothing.