Alex Rodriguez is heartbroken for his former New York Yankees teammate Brett Gardner, who is mourning the loss of his 14-year-old son, Miller.
“I’ll tell you, from someone who has two daughters, I can’t even begin to comprehend the feelings,” Rodriguez told People in an interview published Thursday.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to him, his wife, Jessica, and obviously his entire family.”
Rodriguez — who shares daughters Natasha, 20, and Ella, 16, with ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis — played on the same team as Gardner from 2008 to 2016 when the legendary shortstop and third baseman retired.
Gardner went on to play five more seasons with the famed franchise before hanging up his glove.
A-Rod, 49, had nothing but great things to say about the outfielder, 41, who joined the Yankees “as a very young player, feisty.”
“He was always, like, blue-collar, great work, fan favorite,” he said of Gardner. “He’s just a great, great competitor and a better human being.”
Gardner and his wife, Jessica, revealed Sunday that their youngest son died suddenly while they were vacationing in Costa Rica.
“He was 14 years old and has left us far too soon after falling ill along with several other family members while on vacation,” the couple began in their statement on the Yankees’ X account.
“We have so many questions and so few answers at this point, but we do know that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Friday, March 21st,” they continued.
“Miller was a beloved son and brother and we cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile. He loved football, baseball, golf, hunting, fishing, his family and his friends. He lived life to the fullest every single day.”
While authorities originally believed the teen died from “asphyxiation,” they later ruled it out.
Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency told People it found “no macro-level abnormalities” in his “respiratory tract upon inspection of the body.”
Gardner’s “whole family” fell ill, “likely from food poisoning from something they ate,” leading up to Miller’s death.
The Gardners started feeling sick after eating at a restaurant near their resort, Arenas Del Mar in Manuel Antonio, where he was found dead in bed.
Authorities now believe Miller may have had an allergic reaction to a medication he was given to combat his symptoms.
The investigation into his death is still ongoing as they wait for the autopsy to be completed — which could take a while.
A representative for the Judicial Investigation Agency, Juan Pablo Alvarado Garcia, shared that autopsy results might take up to 90 days due to a “hike in homicides” as “drug gangs battle for territory” in the country.
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