Before a May 6 game against the Cleveland Indians, Remy's play-by-play partner, Don Orsillo, announced Remy would take a leave of absence for an indefinite period to recover from cancer surgery. Remy missed six games to that point in the season and was forced to miss most of spring training when he developed an infection that led to pneumonia. "I want to focus on completing my recovery so that I can return to work without distractions or disruptions," Remy said in a statement. "I hope that disclosing my bout with cancer will reinforce the dangers of smoking to every member of Red Sox Nation, especially children."