Twins Bench Coach Mike Bell Takes Indefinite Leave Because of Kidney Cancer

Minnesota Twins bench coach Mike Bell has taken an indefinite leave of absence due to kidney cancer, the team announced on Wednesday.  

Bell, 46, is the younger brother of Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell and the son of Buddy Bell. He was diagnosed with cancer during the offseason and had surgery to remove a growth in late January. He'll contribute to the club remotely as he recovers. 

"Mike has handled this with great courage, and as I said before, he’s recovering, doing great and is looking for the next part of his recovery, which will take place at home in Arizona for the time being," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "But believe me, he’s already plotting his return back to the dugout and getting back with the guys and getting ready to go."

Minnesota added Bell to its staff at the beginning of last season after Derek Shelton was hired to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Twins said Bell will "publicly address" his condition at a later time. Until then, Minnesota will not make any staffing changes, instead opting to dole out Bell's responsibilities among the coaches while he's away. 

Bell will still help manage spring training with quality control coach Nate Dammann as well as provide feedback on exhibition games and workouts. 

After spending 10 years with the Arizona Diamondbacks player development department, Bell got his first major league coaching job with the Twins last year.

Minnesota now eagerly awaits his return. 

"At this point, he's at home, which is really important to him, and he's just focused on getting healthy, getting stronger," David Bell said. "He has a ton of people that love him and support him and will all help him get strong and get back healthy and get back to work. One other thing is just the amount of support and amount of people throughout the game and friends that have reached out to him. I know it's meant a lot to him."