Current San Diego Padres third-base coach Matt Williams will be with the team as they host the Colorado Rockies on Opening Day Thursday afternoon.
After that, the five-time All-Star will take a leave of absence. Williams, 57, announced on Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with colon cancer and will undergo surgery later this week.
“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 on Wednesday.
The good news here is that scans showed that the cancer has not spread, meaning that Williams should make a full recovery.
A first-round pick of the San Francisco Giants back in 1986, Matt Williams played in Northern California for a decade. Joining Will Clark and others, he was a major part of the 1989 San Francisco Giants World Series team. Williams finished in the top-three of National League MVP voting two times, including a career-best 1994 season that saw him hit 43 homers.
One of the best players in Giants history, Williams also starred for the then-Cleveland Indians and Arizona Diamondbacks before seeing his career come to an end following the 2003 season. He finished with 378 career home runs.
After his playing career was over, Williams served as a coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks before becoming the Washington Nationals manager from 2014-15. After a stint with the Oakland Athletics under Bob Melvin, Williams joined him in San Diego last season.
“I know in particular that he’s going to give this the fiercest effort of his life and he’s going to beat it,” Melvin said about Matt Williams’ looming battle with cancer.
In Williams’ stead, former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt will take over third-base duties for a Padres team with legitimate World Series expectations.
We wish Williams the best as he fights this disease.