FORT MYERS, Fla. – Former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will undergo surgery in Minnesota sometime in the next few weeks, he announced Tuesday.
Gardenhire, hired last November to serve as bench coach for new Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, will take a leave of absence from his new team in order to begin treatment. Gardenhire broke the news in a clubhouse meeting with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday morning.
The 59-year-old Gardenhire was diagnosed earlier this month after feeling ill as he prepared for spring training in Scottsdale, Ariz. His surgery will be performed within the next few weeks by Dr. William Utz in Minneapolis.
“I’m going to fight it and deal with it,” Gardenhire said in a statement. “It’s a bump in the road, and it’s not how I envisioned starting spring training with a brand-new team, but it’s part of life.
“With the backing of this ballclub, we’ll get through it.”
The cancer is treatable and his prognosis is good, Gardenhire told the D-Backs. He hopes to join his new team later this season.
Gardenhire managed the Twins for 13 seasons and owns the second-most victories in franchise history. Gardenhire went 1,068-1,039 in his 13 seasons leading the Twins, behind only his mentor, Tom Kelly, who went 1,140-1,244 in 16 seasons. Gardenhire guided the Twins to a Central Division title in his first three seasons as manager, and won six division titles in nine years.
Gardenhire finished second in Manager of the Year voting five times, and won the award in 2010, after the last of his Central championships. But the Twins were 3-19 in the postseason under the Okmulgee, Okla., native, and have lost 12 straight postseason games.
After four consecutive seasons of 90 or more losses, Gardenhire was fired following the 2014 season. He was hired last season as a special assistant and scout for Twins General Manager Terry Ryan, a position that ended with Ryan’s firing last summer. Gardenhire interviewed for managerial positions in Washington and San Diego before accepting Lovullo’s offer in Arizona for the 2017 season.
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