Dodgers provide update on Fernando Valenzuela amid absence from broadcasts

Dodgers broadcaster and former World Series-winning pitcher Fernando Valenzuela has “stepped away from the Dodger broadcast booth for the remainder of this year to focus on his health,” the team announced Wednesday morning.

Valenzuela, 63, was absent from the team’s Spanish-language broadcasts near the end of the season, and has reportedly been hospitalized.

“He and his family truly appreciate the love and support of fans as he aims to return for the 2025 season, and they have asked for privacy during this time.”

A former Cy Young Award-winner and six-time All-Star who produced his legendary “Fernandomania” season as a rookie on the Dodgers World Series-winning 1981 squad, Valenzuela has been a member of the Dodgers broadcast team since 2003.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.