San Diego Padres third base coach and five-time MLB All-Star Matt Williams was diagnosed with colon cancer, as per Alden Gonzalez.
Padres manager Bob Melvin broke the news and called Williams one of the toughest people he’s ever met, as per Gonzalez as well.
The 57 year-old Williams will reportedly be with the Padres on Opening Day, but will then take a leave of absence.
Williams addressed the situation on Wednesday.
“I don’t have any symptoms, I don’t have any issues, but at this point it’s important that we get it out of there,” Williams said.
Williams spent 10 of his 17 years in the big leagues with the San Francisco Giants. He made the All-Star team four times with the Giants.
The former third baseman had an overall batting average of .268, with 378 home runs and 1,218 runs batted in (RBIs).
Williams finished second in MVP voting during the 1994 campaign, and won four Gold Gloves during the course of his career.
The former slugger was entering his second season as the Padres third base coach on Melvin’s staff. He previously won the 2014 NL Manager of the Year award in his first year as a skipper, leading the Washington Nationals to an NL East title and 96 wins.
Williams was fired the following year and owns a 179-145 overall record as a manager.
Former MLB player Matt Williams. Photo courtsey of Bleacher Report
