'Big Papi Will Be Back Soon': David Ortiz Thankful For Support After Release From Hospital
BOSTON (CBS) – Red Sox icon David Ortiz released a statement on Monday thanking everyone who has supported him after a shooting that left him at Mass General Hospital for more than a month. Ortiz was shot in the back on June 9 in the Dominican Republic.
Ortiz was shot while sitting outside a bar in Santo Domingo. After the shooting, Ortiz was rushed into surgery where doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his intestines before he was flown to Boston. He was moved out of intensive care June 22, but remained at Massachusetts General Hospital until he was released on Friday.
In a statement issued on Ortiz's behalf on Monday, he thanked his family for their support. Ortiz also praised his doctors in the Dominican Republic and at Mass General.
"They are some of the best teammates I have ever had," he said.
Ortiz also thanked Red Sox ownership for providing the team plane that transported him back to Boston for treatment after the shooting.
According to the statement, Ortiz plans to spend the next several weeks focusing on his recovery.
"I am feeling good, but know I need to do my rehab just like I did when I was recovering from injuries playing baseball," Ortiz said.
Though the Red Sox icon asked for his privacy for the time being, he added "Big Papi will be back soon."
