Former Boston Red Sox left fielder Mike Greenwell has died after a battle with a rare form of thyroid cancer, family and Florida officials said Thursday. Greenwell, 62, who retired from the Sox and MLB in 1996, told WCVB’s Fort Myers sister station WBBH in August that he’d been diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer. “After a long year fighting cancer my dad has passed away. It has been a long year for him through a lot of pain and suffering. Now he can finally rest in peace. Thank you to everyone who has been keeping him in your thoughts and prayers,” his son, Bo Greenwell, posted Thursday.Greenwell served as Lee County commissioner in Florida since 2022.”It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Commissioner Mike Greenwell, a lifelong Lee County resident. He was a strong advocate for the people and businesses of Lee County and will be remembered for seeking meaningful solutions to the challenges his community faced,” Lee County officials posted on social media. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and all who were touched by his leadership.””The Gator” Greenwell grew up in Fort Myers and was drafted in the third round of the 1982 MLB draft. He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1982 to 1996 — the entirety of his major league career. The two-time All-Star and 1988 Silver Slugger Award winner was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008. Overall, Greenwell hit .303 with 130 home runs and 726 RBIs.”We are deeply saddened by the passing of Red Sox Hall of Famer Mike Greenwell. ‘The Gator’ spent his entire career in a Red Sox uniform and was a beloved fixture of Fenway and Fort Myers. He gave so much to Lee County and Sox Nation. We send our love to the Greenwell family,” the Red Sox said in a statement. After retiring from the MLB, he played briefly with the Hanshin Tigers baseball team in Japan and ran a few NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races.Medullary thyroid cancer is the rarest type of thyroid cancer and forms inside the thyroid gland, and it can sometimes be linked to an inherited condition, according to the Cleveland Clinic.Video: What is medullary thyroid cancer? Doctor explains Red Sox’s Mike Greenwell’s diagnosis

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

Former Boston Red Sox left fielder Mike Greenwell has died after a battle with a rare form of thyroid cancer, family and Florida officials said Thursday.

Greenwell, 62, who retired from the Sox and MLB in 1996, told WCVB’s Fort Myers sister station WBBH in August that he’d been diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer.

“After a long year fighting cancer my dad has passed away. It has been a long year for him through a lot of pain and suffering. Now he can finally rest in peace. Thank you to everyone who has been keeping him in your thoughts and prayers,” his son, Bo Greenwell, posted Thursday.

Greenwell served as Lee County commissioner in Florida since 2022.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Commissioner Mike Greenwell, a lifelong Lee County resident. He was a strong advocate for the people and businesses of Lee County and will be remembered for seeking meaningful solutions to the challenges his community faced,” Lee County officials posted on social media. “We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and all who were touched by his leadership.”

“The Gator” Greenwell grew up in Fort Myers and was drafted in the third round of the 1982 MLB draft. He played for the Boston Red Sox from 1982 to 1996 — the entirety of his major league career. The two-time All-Star and 1988 Silver Slugger Award winner was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2008. Overall, Greenwell hit .303 with 130 home runs and 726 RBIs.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Red Sox Hall of Famer Mike Greenwell. ‘The Gator’ spent his entire career in a Red Sox uniform and was a beloved fixture of Fenway and Fort Myers. He gave so much to Lee County and Sox Nation. We send our love to the Greenwell family,” the Red Sox said in a statement.

After retiring from the MLB, he played briefly with the Hanshin Tigers baseball team in Japan and ran a few NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races.

Medullary thyroid cancer is the rarest type of thyroid cancer and forms inside the thyroid gland, and it can sometimes be linked to an inherited condition, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Video: What is medullary thyroid cancer? Doctor explains Red Sox’s Mike Greenwell’s diagnosis