Athletics’ Stephen Piscotty undergoes surgery to remove melanoma from ear

Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty had a melanoma removed from his right ear on Thursday, the team announced on Friday afternoon:

The 28-year-old Piscotty, a fifth-year major-leaguer who is in his second season with the A’s, will take some time away from the team to recover, and in the meantime doctors will attempt to make sure that the skin cancer hasn’t spread.

The Stanford product and Pleasanton, California native have endured their fair share of tragic medical news over the past few years. Piscotty’s mother, Gretchen, was diagnosed with ALS during the 2017 season while Stephen was playing for the Cardinals. St. Louis traded him to Oakland the following winter, in part so that he could be close to his mother as her condition deteriorated, but she ultimately passed away less than a year after the diagnosis.

Melanoma is one of the most treatable forms of cancer and, as the Athletics’ release mentions above, it has an extremely high 10-year survival rate at 98 percent. With that said, cancer is always something that has to be taken seriously and comes as a horrifying buzzword for anyone who receives a diagnosis. We at MLB Daily Dish wish Stephen the speediest of recoveries and good health in the future.