The onetime promising Yankees prospect who died Sunday after an Oct. 4 motorcycle accident in his native Venezuela had been lingering in a coma before his death, officials revealed.
Jesús Montero, 35, was riding the motorcycle when he collided with a pickup truck in Valencia about 93 miles west of Caracas, officials said.
The brutal crash left the former Yankee with a punctured lung, six broken ribs and multiple fractures to his femur, tibia, and fibula, as well as hip and knee injuries, local outlet El Nacional reported.
Montero was riding the motorcycle when he collided with a pickup truck. AP
Montero was rushed to the Dr. Enrique Tejera Hospital, where he suffered cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated, the outlet said.
The former major leaguer was induced into a coma and also put on dialysis because of the extent of the damage to his renal system.
Montero had been listed in “critical” condition before officials announced his death Sunday.
The Yankees paid their respects to the man who General Manager Brian Cashman once dubbed “the best player I’ve traded.”
Montero had been listed in “critical” condition before officials announced his death Sunday. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
“The Yankees are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jesús Montero. We send our sincerest condolences to his family & loved ones,” the team wrote on X.
The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League said in its own statement about the local legend, ”Venezuelan baseball sadly bids farewell to Jesús Montero, who left a legacy of effort and passion for the game.
“Today, baseball mourns his passing. But it also remembers him with gratitude: for every home run that thrilled fans, for every day he proudly defended his country’s colors, and for every young person who saw in him as an example that dreams can be achieved.”
The Yankees and the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League posted tributes for Montero. LVBP Instagram
When Montero signed on as an international free agent in 2006 for $1.6 million, he was a hyped prospect immediately, with Cashman calling the then-16-year-old the best potential Venezuelan hitter since Miguel Cabrera.
Montero debuted in 2011 as the Yankees’ No. 1 prospect, arriving as a September call-up and crushing major league pitching for 18 games.
But despite Montero’s impressive showing, Cashman chose to trade the young prospect to Seattle in a package for Michael Pineda.
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Montero’s final MLB game came in late 2015, finishing a four-year career with the Mariners, but he continued playing baseball for teams in Mexico and Venezuela, with the athlete playing in the Venezuelan Winter League as recently as 2020-21.