David Ortiz Jr., son of the Boston Red Sox legend, is only 17. He signed with the Texas Rangers for a large bonus and other perks.
The Texas Rangers have officially signed Little Papi.
On Wednesday, retired Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz announced on Instagram that his son, David Ortiz Jr., has joined the Texas Rangers as an international free agent. At 17 years old, Ortiz Jr. is the second-youngest of Ortiz’s children and follows in the footsteps of his 10-time MLB All-Star father.
Little Papi has officially joined the Texas Rangers.
The team has signed David Ortiz Jr., the son of Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz, who is affectionately known as “Big Papi.” Ortiz Jr.’s signing was announced via social media and a report by ESPN’s Héctor Gómez from the Dominican Republic.
On Wednesday, David Ortiz Sr. shared photos and videos on Instagram of his son signing with the Rangers and donning the team’s jersey and cap at their Boca Chica facility in the Dominican Republic. The videos featured Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida,” which means “long live life.”
David Ortiz Jr. is a Texas Ranger, according to David Ortiz’ Instagram. pic.twitter.com/sx03RVaMVp
— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) August 8, 2024
In his Instagram post, Ortiz Sr. expressed gratitude to the Rangers, saying, “Thank you @rangers for the opportunity. [Let’s] build a big leaguer @davidortizjr19 love you kid.”
Ortiz Sr. also remarked, “That boy is a clone of me, the one who looks most like me. He worked hard at a development complex, and in just one year, he’s become a formidable hitter.”
At 17 years old, Ortiz Jr. is a member of the Class of 2025 at Saint George School in Santo Domingo, as noted by Perfect Game. According to Gómez, Ortiz Jr. received a $225,000 signing bonus from the Rangers.
David Ortiz Sr., who now serves as an MLB commentator for FOX Sports, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 after a 20-year career. His older son, D’Angelo Ortiz, was drafted by the Red Sox in the 19th round of the 2024 MLB Draft from Miami Dade College. D’Angelo turned 20 on July 4.
