Rockies' Chad Bettis announces he's cancer-free: 'Today was a big day for me'

The right-hander was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November of last year

Great news from Rockies camp on Wednesday, as right-hander Chad Bettis announced he’s cancer-free. The 27-year-old pitcher was diagnosed with testicular cancer in November and underwent surgery at that time.

Via MLB.com’s Thomas Harding, here’s what Bettis had to say:

“Today was a big day for me; it was a clean bill of health,” Bettis said. “I got the blood work back from the doctor, met with him today, and he said my tumor markers are not detectable.”

That’s wonderful to hear. Testicular cancer is highly curable if caught reasonably early, and things are indeed looking good for Bettis. As Harding notes, Bettis isn’t likely to make a start during the first trip through the rotation in Cactus League play. After that, though, he’s angling for a normal spring. 

Last season, Bettis pitched to a 4.79 ERA (102 ERA+) and 1.41 WHIP with 138 strikeouts in 186 innings for the Rockies. He’s expected to be in the 2017 rotation alongside Jon Gray, Tyler Anderson, Tyler Chatwood and Jeff Hoffman.