Former Slugger David Ortiz Rushed To Hospital After Being Shot In The Back

MLB.com reports:

Retired Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was shot and wounded at an amusement center in his hometown of Santo Domingo on Sunday.

The Red Sox released the following statement:

"Late last night we were made aware of an incident involving David Ortiz in the Dominican Republic. David’s family has confirmed that he sustained a gunshot wound to the lower back/abdominal region. David is being treated at Clinica Abel Gonzalez in Santo Domingo where he is recovering after surgery.

We have offered David’s family all available resources to aid in his recovery and will continue to keep them in our hearts."

Originally signed by the Mariners in 1992, Ortiz was traded to the Twins in 1996 and played parts of six seasons with Minnesota. Ortiz was released by the Twins and signed with the Red Sox in 2003.

The 43-year-old Ortiz belted 541 home runs overall in his career and led the Red Sox to World Series championships in 2004, 2007 and 2013 before retiring after the 2016 season. Ortiz was named MVP of the 2013 Fall Classic. During his 14 seasons with the Red Sox, he was a 10-time All-Star and a seven-time Silver Slugger winner. Ortiz also holds the Red Sox single-season record for home runs with 54, which he set in 2006.

Among designated hitters, Ortiz is the all-time leader in MLB history for homers (485), RBIs (1,569), and hits (2,192). He is eligible to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.

Ortiz currently serves as an MLB studio analyst for FOX Sports. He contributes to the network’s regular season, All-Star Game, postseason and World Series coverage.