DALLAS – Four months after Ryne Sandberg announced he was cancer-free, the Chicago Cubs icon is once again dealing with a medical situation. Sandberg shared Tuesday’s update on his Instagram account, where he first publicly announced his diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer in January and later marked milestones in his recovery.

“Unfortunately, we recently learned that the cancer has relapsed and spread to other organs,” Sandberg wrote. “That means I have to receive more intensive treatment again. We will continue to be positive and strong and fight to overcome this. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for me and my family.”

Your Hall of Fame family is always with you, Ryno. pic.twitter.com/zdUyiFL9nQ

— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) December 10, 2024

Sandberg, 65, is a distinguished member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In recent years, he has been a regular presence at Wrigley Field, both as a Cubs ambassador and as a grandfather who maintains a home in Chicago’s North Shore suburb.

“Ryne is an inspiration to cancer survivors everywhere,” Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement released by the team. “I know that all Cubs fans join my family and I in sending positive thoughts to Ryne and keeping him and his family in our prayers as he faces the next round of treatment to fight cancer. Ryne has the heart and soul of a champion and that will serve him well in this challenge.”

Last summer, the Cubs unveiled a statue of Sandberg outside Wrigley Field, honoring his enormous impact in the Friendly Confines as a 10-time All-Star who won seven Silver Sluggers and nine Gold Gloves.

The statue ceremony took place on the 40th anniversary of “The Sandberg Game” (June 23, 1984). The cancer treatment – ​​and the large turnout at the event – ​​had given him more perspective.

“I learned something about the people in my life,” Sandberg said that day. “From my family to my friends and neighbors to my teammates and Cubs fans, it’s all about the relationships I have with people. And there are a lot of them, so it’s just a reflection on that. Seeing everyone here today is what I’m talking about – how special it is. I felt it.”

(Photo: Matt Dirksen / Chicago Cubs / Getty Images)