NEW YORK (Gray News) – The youngest son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner and his wife, Jessica, has died after falling ill during a family vacation. Miller Gardner was 14.
Miller Gardner died in his sleep Friday morning, according to a statement from the couple that the Yankees released on Sunday.
Officials in Costa Rica say the teen’s death may have been due to food poisoning-related asphyxiation.
Authorities said the death is still under investigation and they are awaiting further results from the autopsy and toxicology results.
Brett Gardner, 41, played baseball at the College of Charleston from 2002-2005 when he was drafted by the Yankees.
He’d play his entire 17-year professional career with the Yankees organization. The speedy outfielder batted .256 with 139 homers, 578 RBIs, 274 steals and 73 triples in 14 seasons from 2008-2021.
He retired after the 2021 season and was inducted into the Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023.
The Yankees said the organization was “filled with grief.”
“Words feel insignificant and insufficient in trying to describe such an unimaginable loss,” the team said in its statement. “It wasn’t just Brett who literally grew up in this organization for more than 17 years — so did his wife, Jessica, and their two boys, Hunter and Miller.”
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