In April, we learned that Buck Martinez was taking a leave of absence from the Toronto Blue Jays booth for cancer treatment.
A message from Buck Martinez pic.twitter.com/iZxEpiiPQ6
— Sportsnet PR (@SportsnetPR) April 17, 2022
Martinez, who has been with the Blue Jays off and on since retiring as a player in 1986, including a spending the last decade plus in the Toronto booth, had yet to return to action.
Thankfully this morning Dan Shulman provided the world with a very encouraging update on Twitter:
Hey everyone..I get asked nightly during #bluejays games for an update on Buck, so here's the latest. He and Arlene are thrilled to report he finished treatment yesterday! 💪 It all went as well as it possibly could and they are heading home now to begin rehab and recovery (1/2) pic.twitter.com/LMiTXmKN3n
— Dan Shulman (@DShulman_ESPN) June 29, 2022
That’s obviously tremendous news. Cancer sucks, and Martinez heading for rehab and recovery is a hugely positive sign. Indeed, Shulman followed up by saying there’s a chance Buck could even return to the booth at some point this year.
(2/2) Buck is very hopeful he will be able to rejoin us in the booth at some point post All-Star break, as soon as he is feeling strong enough. Great news!!!
— Dan Shulman (@DShulman_ESPN) June 29, 2022
That would be fantastic. Hopefully Martinez’s recover continues to progress as well as it has so far, and he can get back on the air as soon as possible. The Blue Jays are having a pretty great season so far, and it would be a shame if Martinez wasn’t able to take part in person.
