David Ortiz out of Hospital 7 Weeks after Dominican Republic Shooting

David Ortiz will be recovering at home following his discharge from the hospital last week. The former major league ballplayer underwent three surgeries after he was shot in June.

More than a month after he thook a bullet that wasn’t meant for him, David Ortiz has been released from the hospital and may be on his way to full recovery.

ONE BULLET, TWO VICTIMS

According to CNN, the former Boston Red Sox player was released from Massachusetts General Hospital on Friday after undergoing two surgeries to treat internal injuries he sustained during a June 9 shooting incident in the Dominican Republic.

Ortiz was sitting in the patio of a crowded bar in his hometown, Santo Domingo when he was shot in the lower back. The same bullet that went through his intestines and other internal organs hit his friend, Jhoel Lopez in the leg. The talk show host’s injury wasn’t as severe as the one suffered by Ortiz who was rushed to a local hospital where he underwent immediate surgery. As soon as he was safe to fly, he was transferred to the Boston hospital.

Authorities investigating the shooting learned Ortiz wasn't the target. The bullet was meant for the 43-year-old’s friend, Sixto David Fernandez who survived the incident unscathed.

ON HIS WAY TO RECOVERY

Following his discharge, Red Sox spokesperson Zineb Curran said an update on his condition will be provided next week. He is expected to receive rehabilitation treatment at home. The hospital declined to comment regarding the matter.

A BOTCHED HIT JOB

Authorities investigating the shooting learned Ortiz wasn’t the target. The bullet was meant for the 43-year-old’s friend, Sixto David Fernandez who survived the incident unscathed. A drug-related hit was reportedly ordered on Fernandez by his cousin, Victor Hugo Gomez Vasquez allegedly of Mexico’s Del Golfo drug cartel. Vasquez reportedly wanted payback after Fernandez snitched on him to the Dominican authorities back in 2011.

The alleged gunman, Rolfi Ferreira-Cruz is a New Jersey native and is one of 14 suspects arrested in relation to the shooting including Vasquez who was apprehended last month.

ORTIZ'S HEADLINING MOMENTS

Ortiz, fondly known as Big Papi, retired from baseball in 2016 after a 20-season career as a first baseman and designated hitter in the major league, 14 of which he devoted to the Red Sox. In 2004, he helped the team snatch its first championship since 1918. He became World Series MVP in 2013, the same year he championed for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings after the bomber was apprehended by authorities.