Nearly four months after he announced he was cancer-free, Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg announced that the cancer has spread to other organs in his body and he is set for more treatment.
“To my Chicago Cubs, National Baseball Hall of Fame, the city of Chicago, and all my loyal fans, I want to share an update on my prostate cancer,” Sandberg wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, we recently learned the cancer has relapsed and it has spread to other organs. This means that I’m back to more intensive treatment. We will continue to be positive, strong, and fight to beat this.
“Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for me and my family.”
The 65-year-old Sandberg revealed in January that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. In July, he informed fans that scans had shown no signs of cancer and he later rang the bell, signaling that his body was cancer-free after an eight-month battle.
Sandberg played all but 13 games of his 16-season MLB career with the Cubs. He joined the majors in a brief stint with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1981 and was traded the following offseason to the Cubs. He became a full-time starter in his first season in Chicago in 1982 and made the first of 10 straight All-Star appearances in 1984.
He was named NL MVP that season while leading the league in triples and runs scored. He led the NL with 40 home runs in 1990 and won the Home Run Derby at Wrigley Field the same season. He won seven Silver Slugger awards and nine Gold Gloves in his career.
A beloved Cub known on the field for his production and reliability, Sandberg played in at least 115 games in 14 of his 15 seasons in Chicago. He played in fewer than 150 games just four times. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.
“Ryne is an inspiration to cancer survivors everywhere,” wrote Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts in a statement. “I know all Cubs fans join my family and me in sending positive thoughts to Ryne and keeping him and his family in our prayers as he faces this next round of treatments to defeat cancer. Ryne has the heart and soul of a champion and that will serve him well in this challenge.”
In June, the Cubs unveiled a statue of Sandberg outside of Wrigley Field.
