BOSTON -- Former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz said he is glad to be home with family after a botched assassination attempt in his native Dominican Republic.
More than seven weeks after he was shot, Ortiz said on Instagram in his first public comments, "Being at home and look at my family celebrating that I'm here safe is priceless." Ortiz was released from a Boston hospital on Friday.
He also thanked fans for their prayers. The post included pictures of a steak, pasta and grilled fish. Ortiz said, "Too bad l can't crush food yet!!!!"
Ortiz was shot in the back at a Santo Domingo nightclub June 9 by a hit man who police said was supposed to be targeting a different man. Ortiz was brought to Boston the next day and needed three operations before he was released.
In a statement Monday, Ortiz thanked his doctors and staff at hospitals in Boston and Santo Domingo.
"They are some of the best teammates I have ever had," he said.
Ortiz asked for privacy while he recovers.
"I am feeling good but know I need to do my rehab just like I did when I was recovering from injuries playing baseball," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.