SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego Padres third base coach Matt Williams has colon cancer and will have surgery on Friday.
Mike Schildt, the former St. Louis Cardinals manager who is a senior adviser with the Padres, will fill in as third base coach Thursday, when the most eagerly anticipated season in franchise history begins with a home game against the Colorado Rockies.
Williams, a five-time All-Star in a 17-year career spent mostly with the San Francisco Giants, said he was diagnosed about three weeks ago.
“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 Wednesday.
Williams, 57, said initial scans show that the cancer hasn’t spread. “That’s a good thing, so we’ll so how it goes from here.”
Williams was a prep star at Carson High, where he also played football. He played college baseball at UNLV, then went on to a long MLB career. He debuted for the Giants on April 11, 1987.
Williams managed the Washington Nationals for two seasons and was the NL Manager of the Year in 2014. He joined manager Bob Melvin’s Padres staff last season.