Cardinals superstar Marcell Ozuna says he ain't scared to return to the D.R. after David Ortiz was shot Sunday ... but he tells TMZ Sports he will have to watch his back in his home country now.
"I'ma be careful," the 28-year-old Santo Domingo native admits.
Ortiz was sitting outside of a bar over the weekend when a man walked up from behind and shot him at point-blank range.
The attack stunned everybody ... and had Dominican natives like White Sox phenom Eloy Jimenez openly admitting he's now scared to go back home.
Ozuna tells us he's not ready to go that far with his feelings on the D.R. yet ... but says he will have to be on high alert when he's back home now.
"I'm not afraid," the outfielder says ... "But I'ma be careful."
As for Big Papi ... his wife, Tiffany, says he's continuing "to make progress" in his recovery from the shooting.