Detroit Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris has certainly had a season to remember, though not necessarily for the best reasons. The 22-year-old left-hander announced via Instagram on Monday that he has thyroid cancer. However, the malignant growth is operable and he will undergo surgery to have it removed.
“A few months ago, after I was optioned to AAA, I found out I had a growth on my thyroid,” Norris wrote. “Flying back & forth from Toronto to Buffalo after pitching to have more and more tests done it was finally concluded that the growth is considered malignant.. Meaning it contained the C word.. cancer.”
Norris went on to explain that he was told by one doctor to have the operation and shut down the rest of his 2015 season, but another physician said he could pitch through the end of the season and have the surgery afterward.
The Detroit News‘ Tony Paul reported that the Tigers did know about the cancer when acquiring Norris along with two other pitchers in a trade deadline deal for David Price. The team expects him to make a full recovery following the procedure and be ready for spring training. When recovered and healthy, he’ll likely be one of Detroit’s top three starters, along with Justin Verlander and Anibal Sanchez.
Norris was the subject of an ESPN The Magazine feature during the spring, which highlighted his living in a Volkswagen van as he took a weeks-long road trip from his native Tennessee to the Blue Jays’ training complex in Dunedin, Fla. He began the season in the Blue Jays’ rotation, but was demoted to Triple-A Buffalo in May and pitched there until being traded to Detroit.
After four starts with the Tigers, he suffered an oblique injury that sidelined him for a month. However, Norris was able to come back from the injury and started four more games. In his eight starts with Detroit, he finished with a 2-1 record and 3.68 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. Overall, Norris went 3-2 with a 3.75 ERA at the major league level this year, knowing he had cancer for at least five months.
