Ryne Sandberg Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg announces cancer diagnosis

Chicago Cubs star Ryne Sandberg is in the fight of his life.

On Monday, Sandberg announced that he is battling metastatic prostate cancer. He is currently undergoing treatment as he continues his struggle against the disease.

Metastatic prostate cancer, also known as advanced prostate cancer, is defined as cancer that has spread from the prostate to other parts of the body. It typically spreads to the lymph nodes or bones. However, it is possible to spread to other organs, such as the lungs. The exact details of Sandberg's cancer are unknown, so any speculation would be premature and disrespectful to him and his family.

Sandberg was one of the biggest stars in baseball in the 1980s and into the 1990s. He was a ten-time All-Star, winning the 1984 National League MVP award and seven Silver Sluggers. He posted a career .285/.344/.452 batting line in his 9282 plate appearances, hitting 282 homers and 403 doubles while stealing 344 bases. Sandberg was also a brilliant defensive second baseman, a nine-time Gold Glove winner whose defense has stood the test of time.

He remained in baseball after his playing days. Sandberg went down to the minors to learn how to manage and was expected to become the Cubs' manager at some point in the future. Instead, when Lou Pinella resigned in 2010, the job went to Mike Quade. Disappointed, Sandberg left the organization, heading to his original team - the Phillies - to get his chance. That came in 2013 as he spent parts of three seasons at the helm before stepping down late in 2015.

Ryne Sandberg is a Chicago legend, and now, he is literally in the fight of his life. Our thoughts go out to him and his family at this time.

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