Former Phillies Player and Manager Ryne Sandberg Shares Cancer Has Relapsed

Former Philadelphia Phillies draft pick, player, and manager Ryne Sandberg has announced some tough news.

Jun 19, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg (L) and bench coach Larry Bowa (R) watch the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. The St. Louis Cardinals won 12-4. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have a long history with Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg.

The ball club drafted him in the 20th round of the 1978 MLB draft out of North Central High School in Spokane, Washington.

Sandberg eventually debuted with the Phillies at the big league level in 1981, appearing in 13 games for the team.

A few short months after his MLB debut, Philadelphia did something they likely regret, trading him to the Chicago Cubs for Ivan de Jesus.

Sandberg went on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Cubs, going down as one of the best second basemen to ever play in Major League Baseball.

He returned to the Phillies many years later as a coach. Sandberg started in the minor league system before being promoted to third base coach after the 2012 season.

In August 2013, Sandberg was announced as the interim manager, a month before he was named the permanent manager with a three-year contract. He resigned as the skipper in the middle of the 2015 campaign.

Unfortunately, Philadelphia's former manager has dealt with prostate cancer.

He had announced he was cancer-free in August, but Sandberg released a statement on Tuesday saying the cancer is back and has spread to other organs.

"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. 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."

Sandberg has fought hard throughout this process and doesn't sound like he plans to stop anytime soon.

Our thoughts here at Philadelphia Phillies On SI are with the 65-year-old, hoping he gets through this terrible time.