Dodgers’ Minor Leaguer Undergoes Surgery For Testicular Cancer

Dodgers fans got some scary news on Wednesday morning when a prospect took to Instagram. Connor Joe, a catcher withing the organization, posted that he underwent surgery this morning. The surgery was to correct testicular cancer, which doctors found he had this past spring. Joe had left camp early a few weeks back to be checked out.

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As some of you may know, I made the difficult decision to leave Spring Training 3 weeks ago to attend to personal matters. After some tests and visits with doctors, I unfortunately learned that I have Testicular Cancer. The good news is that we caught it early, and cases like mine are very curable. I have started treatment, underwent surgery yesterday and am in my recovery process now. I recognize the road ahead may be challenging and uncomfortable at times, but God is good and I am staying positive for a quick and full recovery. I am extremely grateful for my wonderful family, friends, the Dodgers organization and teammates for their incredible love and support during this difficult time. Although we tend to shy away from these topics, I am sharing my journey in the hope that this brings more awareness to Men’s Health, and can help others as a result. Thank you again for your continued support, it means the world to me and my family. I will keep you updated on my path to recovery. I look forward to being back in the game as soon as I am able. Trusting in His plan.

A post shared by Connor Joe (@connor__joe) on Mar 18, 2020 at 8:48am PDT

it’s been a wild ride for Connor Joe in the Dodgers’ system. Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, he was quickly traded to the Atlanta Braves in a deal for Sean Rodriguez. That same year, Joe was traded to the Dodgers in exchange for International bonus pool money. The Cincinatti Reds took Joe in the Rule 5 Draft the following year and traded him to the San Francisco Giants in 2019. It was there that he made his long-awaited Major League debut, with one hit in fifteen at-bats. 

Joe was finally returned to the Dodgers when the Giants designated him for assignment last year, clearing waivers and returning to Los Angeles. He slashed .300/.426/.503 with Triple-A Oklahoma City last year, with 15 homeruns in 105 games. 

It is unclear how long Joe will be away from baseball activity, but with the entire sports world on hold, he has plenty of time to make a full recovery. Major League Baseball has yet to make an official announcement, but it looks as though games will not be played until July at the earliest at this point. 

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