Dodger Brett Butler Has Throat Cancer; Surgery Set

CINCINNATI —  Los Angeles Dodger center fielder Brett Butler has throat cancer and will miss the rest of the season.

Butler, 38, had a tonsillectomy in Atlanta, and a cancerous tumor the size of a plum was found, the club said Tuesday.

He will have surgery May 21 to remove lymph nodes and will require radiation therapy. The survival rate for his type of cancer is 70%, doctors said.

Dodger General Manager Fred Claire and Manager Tom Lasorda told the team about Butler’s cancer before Tuesday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. The Dodgers made an announcement after the clubhouse was closed.

“It’s a shock, a total shock,” Claire said in an interview. “Brett is such an important part of our organization. He’s very much an inspiration as a player and as a person.

“I would say [the team meeting] was very quiet yet very emotional. Brett is not just a member of the team, he’s been a leader of the team. It’s an emotional thing we’re all going through.”

Butler, who has spent four full seasons with the Dodgers, was put on the disabled list May 2 to have a tonsillectomy in Atlanta, his hometown. During surgery to remove the tonsils, doctors found the cancerous tumor.

A CT scan Tuesday determined he had squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsils.

“My goal was always to play major league baseball,” Butler said in a statement. “I’ve been fortunate to accomplish that goal for 16 years at the major-league level. Baseball is the foundation of my life and always will be.”

Butler does not smoke or chew tobacco now, according to the Dodgers’ publicity department.

Dr. Bob Gadlege, who removed the tumor, will perform surgery May 21 to remove a cancerous lymph node on the right side of Butler’s neck and other nodes. He also will remove some muscle tissue where the tonsil was. Butler will have radiation treatments for six weeks.

Doctors told Butler his chances for survival could be better than 70% because of his physical conditioning.

“We’re very, very stunned with the news,” Lasorda said. “We can only hope he can get over this thing and live a healthy life.”

Butler said his religious faith will be his strength.

“We have many friends in and out of baseball and this will come as a major shock,” he said. “It is impossible to speak to all of them personally. My wife and I would ask for your prayers for us and our children at this difficult time. We’re not sure where this road will lead us, but we will try our best to keep you informed.”

The illness hit Butler at the start of one of his happiest seasons.

Butler was not offered a contract by the Dodgers at the start of last season. Butler, a union leader during the 1994-95 strike, said he felt “deserted” by the team he had played for the four previous years.

He signed with the New York Mets and hit .311 in 90 games. In need of a leadoff hitter, the Dodgers traded for him on Aug. 18.

Butler’s mother died of brain cancer last August, and he was booed when he returned to Los Angeles. A week after his return, he criticized the Dodgers for calling up replacement player Mike Busch, angering fans.

Through all of the chaos, Butler hit .300 or better for the fifth time in his career and stole 32 bases. He hit .345 after the All-Star break and had 19 bunt hits.

When he showed up for spring training this year, he said he was happy and excited about the Dodgers’ chances of winning the NL West title.

Butler also has played for Atlanta, Cleveland and San Francisco. He played in the 1991 All-Star game in Toronto.