Padres Third Base Coach To Take Extended Leave of Absence

We are all hoping for the best with him.

Your San Diego Padres will be without their third base coach, Matt Williams, for some time to begin the 2023 season. Just under a month ago, he underwent his mandatory Spring Training physical and found out that his blood cell count was low.

To avoid further concern, he decided to undergo more testing and has now been diagnosed with colon cancer. This was very unexpected and the Padres will fully support him as he takes a necessary leave of absence to determine what he does next.

This news was first reported by ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.

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"Padres third-base coach Matt Williams has colon cancer, manager Bob Melvin said. He’ll be with the team on Opening Day, but then he’ll go through a leave of absence. He has the full support of the team, Melvin said, calling him one of the toughest people he has ever met."

(Via Alden Gonzalez)

Luckily, scans showed Williams that no further spreading of the cancer has happened yet and he will get surgery on Friday to remove the current tumor.

Expect Petco Park to be rocking as Williams is displaying a warrior mentality to support the team and at least be present for the first game of the season.

Williams is 57-years-old and was just hired by San Diego in December. He was brought in to help propel the roster in a year where championship expectations are growing every day. However, this is bigger than baseball and we are all wishing for the best.

Fans showed their support on Twitter.

Wishing Matt Williams well! He was a beast of a player and a great coach

— PadresAllDay (@DayPadres) March 29, 2023

Prayers for this dear man!! Hope and pray his surgery Friday goes well!! 💚💚💚🙏🙏🙏

— Heather Mann (@watsonpup13) March 29, 2023

Wish him the best. My grandma had colon and breast cancer simultaneously and beat it. Williams is a tough dude, I'm sure he'll come out alright.

— Jimmy Hunter (@jhunter46) March 29, 2023