“I almost died last year from blood clots in my legs,” Kansas City Royals slugger Jose Guillen said. “Both of my legs. I had to stay in St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City for 20 days (in the off-season) just lying in bed.

Last September the Royals described Guillen’s absence as “right leg injuries.” In reality, the designated hitter was experiencing blood clots so severe that the “doctor started talking about dying.”

“I went to the hospital, and I was crying because I couldn’t feel my leg. I was thinking, ‘What’s going on here?”

Guillen lost a lot of strength and muscle. His weight plummeted to 180 pounds and his activities were limited. He was on medication until a week before Spring Training.

The Royals thought his career was done, so much so that the team signed Rick Ankiel and Scott Podsednik in the off-season.

“I know this: I never thought I was going to come back. I swear, I never thought I was going to play this year. I swear on my three kids’ lives, I didn’t think I was going to play.”

Guillen, 33, is hitting .361 this season. You can see Guillen’s statistics here.