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Baseball

Ex-MLB catcher Jesus Montero, 35, dies after traffic accident

Oct 19, 2025, 05:41 PM ET

CARACAS — Former catcher Jesús Montero, who played for the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners, has died following a traffic accident in Venezuela, officials said Sunday. He was 35.

Montero’s motorcycle reportedly crashed into a truck on Oct. 4 and he had been hospitalized ever since in critical condition. He was unable to recover from multiple injuries, authorities said.

“Venezuelan baseball sadly bids farewell to Jesús Montero … leaving behind a legacy of effort and passion for the game,” the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League said in a statement posted Sunday on X. “Today, baseball mourns his passing. But it also remembers him with gratitude: for every home run that thrilled the fans, for every day in which he proudly defended his country’s colors, and for every young person who saw in him an example that dreams can be achieved.”

The accident had shocked the South American country, with numerous outpourings of grief posted on social media.

Montero played 18 games for the Yankees in the 2011 season. He played 208 games with the Mariners, ending in 2015.

In his brief major league career, he batted .253, hit 28 home runs and had 104 RBIs.

In 2016, while still in the Toronto Blue Jays’ minor league system, he was suspended 50 games after testing positive for dimethyl butylamine, a stimulant that helps combat fatigue. It was Montero’s second suspension for violating anti-doping regulations after a 50-game ban in 2013.

In the Venezuelan Winter League, he played six seasons with the Navegantes del Magallanes, Cardenales de Lara and Ãguilas del Zulia. He retired at age 31 after the 2020-21 season.

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Former Yankees top prospect Jesús Montero dead at 35

Former New York Yankees top prospect Jesús Montero has died, the team announced Sunday. He was 35.

Montero was reportedly involved in a motorcycle crash in Venezuela earlier in October and had been in a medically induced coma, according to the New York Post.

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The Yankees did not provide details of Montero’s death, but the team did confirm the former catcher died.

For many years, Montero was thought to be the next big Yankees superstar. After signing with the team in 2006, he tore up the minor leagues in 2007 and 2008 and was ranked as the No. 38 prospect in baseball entering the 2009 season, per Baseball America.

Montero hit .337/.389/.562 across multiple minor-league levels that season, vaulting him up prospect boards. He came into the 2010 season ranked the No. 4 prospect in the game, per BA. Another strong performance moved him to No. 3 on BA’s list before the 2011 season. He made his major-league debut that year, playing in 18 games with the Yankees.

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That offseason, the Yankees dealt Montero to the Seattle Mariners for pitcher Michael Pineda. It was a challenge trade, as both players were still incredibly young. To that point, Pineda had accomplished much more in the majors, making the All-Star Game as a rookie in 2011.

Montero retained his rookie eligibility entering the 2012 MLB season. He came into the season ranked as the No. 6 prospect on BA’s list.

After being blocked with the Yankees, Montero finally saw a full season of playing time in the majors. He hit .260/.298/.386 over 553 plate appearances for the Mariners in 2012.

Montero got off to a slow start again in 2013 and was demoted to the minors after just 29 games. He tore his meniscus in June and then received a 50-game suspension for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs.

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Montero reported to spring training overweight in 2014 and played just six games in the majors that year. During the season, he was involved in an incident in which he angrily confronted a minor-league coach. The Mariners shut him down for the rest of the year following the altercation.

He returned to the team the following season, playing in 116 games in the majors. Montero hit just .223/.250/.411, however, causing the Mariners to find replacements in the offseason.

The Mariners also paid tribute to Montero on Sunday.

Montero was designated for assignment by the Mariners in 2016. He joined the Toronto Blue Jays and wound up making the Triple-A All-Star team. But he received another 50-game suspension at the end of the season, this time for reportedly using a banned stimulant.

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He signed with the Orioles ahead of the 2017 season and served his suspension. But he was released after just 51 plate appearances in Triple-A and spent the next few seasons in the Mexican League.

Montero never returned to the majors following the 2016 season. He posted a 253/.295/.398 slash line over five seasons in the majors.

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Jesus Montero, former top Yankees prospect, dies at 35 – NBC Sports Philadelphia

The New York Yankees announced Sunday that former top prospect Jesús Montero has died at the age of 35 years old.

“The Yankees are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jesús Montero,†read a post on the teamâ€s official X account. “We send our sincerest condolences to his family & loved ones.â€

The former catcher’s motorcycle reportedly crashed into a truck on Oct. 4 and he had been hospitalized ever since in critical condition. He was unable to recover from multiple injuries, authorities said.

“We join the baseball community in mourning the passing of former Major League player Jesús Montero,” Major League Baseball posted on social media Sunday.

The Venezuela native, a power-hitting catcher in the minors, was ranked one of the sportâ€s top-10 prospects by Baseball America for three consecutive years from 2010 to 2012.

Montero was the No. 1 prospect in the Yankees†organization when he made his major-league debut in 2011 at 21-years-old. He played in 18 games for the Yankees that season, hitting .328 with four homers and 12 RBIs.

The following January, Montero was traded to the Seattle Mariners in a package for starting pitcher Michael Pineda. In his first season with the Mariners, he hit .260 with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs in 135 games. Over the next three seasons, he played in a combined 73 games, making his final MLB appearance in 2015.

He was waived by the Mariners the following offseason and spent stints in the minor league systems of the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles.

In the Venezuelan Winter League, he played six seasons with the Navegantes del Magallanes, Cardenales de Lara, and Ãguilas del Zulia. He retired at age 31 after the 2020-2021 season.

“Venezuelan baseball sadly bids farewell to Jesús Montero … leaving behind a legacy of effort and passion for the game,†the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League said in a statement posted Sunday on X. “Today, baseball mourns his passing. But it also remembers him with gratitude: for every home run that thrilled the fans, for every day in which he proudly defended his countryâ€s colors, and for every young person who saw in him an example that dreams can be achieved.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

CNBCâ€s Michael Ozanian breaks down the 2025 MLB team valuations from the most valuable New York Yankees to the bottom of the barrel Miami Marlins.

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