Since being shot in early June in the Dominican Republic, former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has been on the road to recovery. The 43-year-old spent nearly 50 days in a Boston hospital but has since been able to return to his life. This includes reportedly celebrating at a Miami hotspot with fellow athletes.
According to Page Six, Ortiz was at Kiki on the River with Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco and NBA star Luis David Montero. The trio arrived at 9 p.m. and reportedly enjoyed a bottle of Dom Perignon, as well as Greek salad and grilled fish.
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“He was not under the radar,” a source said to Page Six. “He was sitting at a VIP table along the river with his friends chatting and dancing and taking photos with some fans too. He was in great spirits and the life of the party.”
Since the incident in the Dominican Republic, Ortiz has been slowly making his way back into the public eye. He started by posting a photo of a steak on the grill but has since added photos of him taking his daughter to college and of his dogs.
Ortiz made his first public appearance in early September when he returned to Fenway Park. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch to a former teammate, Jason Varitek. Unsurprisingly, the crowd gave Ortiz a standing ovation. He responded by expressing his thanks to the Boston fans for their support.
“I want to thank God for giving me a second opportunity to be here with all of you. Thank you very much Red Sox family,” Ortiz said. “I want to thank all of you for all the prayers. All of them came home. I want to thank my former teammates for being there for me, also. I want to thank the Yankees, a lot of my boys over there came to check up on Big Papi, I appreciate it. CC [Sabathia], [Edwin] Encarnacion, all y’all man.”
Considering that this shooting was fairly recent, it could be expected that Ortiz would remain out of the public eye. However, this has not been the case. He is enjoying life, as evidenced by the reported dinner at Kiki on the River, and he is about to return to television screens. According to Sports Illustrated, Ortiz will be joining Fox broadcasting for MLB playoff coverage. He will join Kevin Burkhardt, Frank Thomas, and Alex Rodriguez in the studio for both pregame and postgame analysis throughout the postseason.
