On Wednesday, Padres manager Bob Melvin revealed that third base coach Matt Williams is going to be away from the team for some time after being diagnosed with colon cancer.
Alden Gonzalez of ESPN reported that Williams intends to be present for Opening Day festivities on Thursday before undergoing surgery on Friday.
“I don’t have any symptoms. I don’t have any issues,” Williams said via ESPN. “At this point, it’s important now to get it out of there. That’s the plan for Friday, and we’ll see how it goes from there.”
While he is out, senior advisor Mike Shildt will take over third-base coaching duties.
The 57-year-old was a standout player during his 17-year MLB career. He made five All-Star teams and was a four-time Gold Glove winner throughout his career. He won a World Series in 2001 with the Diamondbacks.
Over the course of his career, he posted an .805 OPS with 378 home runs.
Just last year, the Padres had to deal with manager Bob Melvin having prostate surgery, but luckily for him, no cancer was found.
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Williams also had issues last season when he was in COVID-19 protocol.
He joined the Padres in 2022 as part of Melvin’s coaching staff.
