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David Ortiz appears to have a new business venture days after his Baseball Hall of Fame enshrinement.
The Boston Red Sox legend is teaming up with Massachusetts-based cannabis company Rev Brands to launch a new line called "Papi Cannabis," the company announced Wednesday (July 27) in a statement obtained by CBS News.
"Once I embraced the flow of the flower everything changed," Ortiz said. "Cannabis has helped me relax, sleep better, manage stress and heal physically after a lifetime of playing ball, and I look forward to sharing Papi Cannabis and my personal journey to help people understand its benefits."
Papi Cannabis' first product be a "Sweet Sluggers" line, which will include what Rev Brands referred to as Ortiz's "favorite strains" such as "Black Mamba #7," "Lava Cake #7," "Motorbreath #15" and "Bootylicious #4," to be sold at recreational dispensaries in Massachusetts, with others products expected to be released later this summer.
Ortiz was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York last Sunday (July 24) and honored by the Red Sox at Fenway Park before their game against the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday (July 26) night.
The longtime designated hitter was the only player elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class with 77.9% approval from the Baseball Writers' Association of America vote, surpassing the 75% needed for induction.
Ortiz, who was eligible for induction for the first time this year, played in the majors for 20 seasons, which included 14 in Boston, playing a key role on three of the franchise's World Series teams, including the 2004 World Series, snapping the franchise's 86-year championship drought.
The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native finished his MLB career with a .286 batting average, 541 home runs and 1,768 RBI.
Ortiz began the fourth Dominican native to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, joining Juan Marichal (1983), former Red Sox teammate Pedro Martínez (2015) and Vladimir Guerrero (2018) upon induction.