Mike Greenwell, the beloved Boston Red Sox left fielder who spent his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career with the team, died Thursday morning at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston after a battle with a rare form of thyroid cancer. He was 62.
Greenwell passed away at 10:30 a.m. on October 9, 2025, after fighting medullary thyroid cancer, a rare and aggressive disease that affects only one to two percent of all thyroid cancer cases in the United States. His wife Tracy confirmed his death to WINK radio station in Lee County, Florida, where Greenwell had been serving as a county commissioner since 2022.
The diagnosis came as a shock to the baseball community, as Greenwell had only been diagnosed with the disease in August 2025, just two months before his passing. According to medical sources, medullary thyroid carcinoma affects the thyroid’s parafollicular C cells, which produce calcitonin, a hormone involved in calcium regulation. Unlike more common types of thyroid cancer, this form often progresses quickly and can be difficult to detect early.
Tracy Greenwell expressed her grief on social media, writing that she had lost her best friend and describing how it was Mike’s time to become an angel. Their son Bo Greenwell also posted about his father’s passing, noting that it had been a long year of fighting cancer through significant pain and suffering, and that his father could finally rest in peace.
Known affectionately as “The Gator” throughout his career, Greenwell earned his nickname during spring training when he captured an alligator, taped its mouth shut, and placed it in teammate Ellis Burks’ locker. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Greenwell spent most of his childhood in Florida and graduated from North Fort Myers High School, where he played both baseball and football.
The Red Sox selected Greenwell in the third round of the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his big league debut in 1985 and appeared in 31 games for the 1986 American League champions, who ultimately lost to the New York Mets in the World Series.
Greenwell’s breakout season came in 1988, when he batted .325 with 22 home runs, 119 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. That exceptional performance earned him his first All-Star selection, the Silver Slugger Award, and a second-place finish in the American League MVP voting behind Oakland Athletics outfielder Jose Canseco. When Canseco later acknowledged using steroids during that season, Greenwell famously asked, “Where’s my MVP?”
During that remarkable 1988 campaign, Greenwell also hit for the cycle in a September game against the Baltimore Orioles and delivered a then-American League record 23 game-winning RBIs, a statistic no longer recognized by Major League Baseball. In one late-season victory over Seattle, he drove in all of Boston’s runs in a 9-6 win.
Throughout his career, Greenwell took over the challenging left field position at Fenway Park that had previously been occupied by Hall of Fame legends Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Jim Rice. Despite the pressure of following such luminaries, he established himself as a consistent and reliable player, finishing his career with a .303 batting average, 130 home runs, 726 RBIs, and 80 stolen bases across 1,269 games.
Former Red Sox pitcher Bob Stanley praised Greenwell’s character, describing him as a great teammate and an even better person who had big shoes to fill in left field but did an outstanding job. Stanley emphasized that Greenwell played hard and never forgot his Fort Myers roots.
Greenwell earned a second All-Star selection in 1989 and was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008. After retiring from Major League Baseball in 1996, he briefly played seven games for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan before retiring due to a fractured right foot suffered on a foul ball.
Following his baseball career, Greenwell transitioned into auto racing, competing in late-model stock cars beginning in 2000 and making two starts in NASCAR’s Truck Series in 2006 before retiring from racing in 2010. He also operated an amusement park and batting cage facility in Cape Coral, Florida.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Greenwell to the Lee County Commission in July 2022 to replace the late Frank Mann, who had died in office from pancreatic cancer. Greenwell successfully ran for election to the position in 2024, demonstrating his commitment to public service in his adopted home county.
Lee County Manager Bruce Harner announced Greenwell’s passing on the county government’s social media accounts, describing him as a lifelong Lee County resident and strong advocate for local people and businesses. Harner noted that Greenwell would be remembered for seeking meaningful solutions to the challenges his community faced.
The Boston Red Sox organization released a statement expressing their deep sadness at the loss of their Hall of Famer, noting that The Gator spent his entire career in a Red Sox uniform and was a beloved fixture of both Fenway Park and Fort Myers. The team acknowledged his contributions to Lee County and Red Sox Nation.
Greenwell is survived by his wife Tracy and their two sons, Bo and Garrett. His death represents a significant loss for both the baseball community and the residents of Lee County, where he had dedicated himself to public service in his post-playing career.
