Jesús Montero , the former Yankees catcher who was once one of baseball’s top prospects, has died at age 35, the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League announced .
Montero was reportedly injured in a motorcycle accident on Oct. 4 and had been hospitalized in critical condition, officials said .
“The Yankees are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jesús Montero,” the Yankees said in a statement Sunday. “We send our sincerest condolences to his family & loved ones.”
Montero was MLB’s No. 9 prospect in 2011, the season in which he made his big-league debut with the Yankees as a 21-year-old.
The Venezuelan-born Montero hit .328 with four home runs in 18 games with the Yankees that season, then was traded the following winter to the Seattle Mariners in a deal for right-hand