Ex-Yankees star Jesus Montero dies aged 35 after horror motorcycle accident as tributes pour in for baseball catcher

EX-YANKEES star Jesus Montero has died aged 35 after a motorcycle accident.

Tributes are pouring in for the five-major leaguer who was tragically hit by a pickup truck in his home city of Valencia, Venezuela.

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Jesus Montero has died aged 35Credit: AP

He was a rising baseball playerCredit: AP

Montero flips a baseball before a baseball game against the Chicago White SoxCredit: AP

The star was driving his motorbike on October 7 when he was fatally struck by the van.

He was rushed to hospital where he was reportedly put in an induced coma and later died of his injuries.

Following the announcement of his death on Sunday tributes have poured in for the athlete.

The Yankees said: “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 signed Montero out of Venezuela in 2006 when he was just 17.

He later made his major league debut for the club in 2011.

The star was ranked as the Yankees’ top prospect and was the first 21-year-old rookie to hit two home runs.

Montero later joined the Seattle Mariner where he played for another four years.

According to local reports, the driver who struck Montero was under the influence of alcohol.

Venezuelan reporter Tony Rodriguez said on X: “According to sources close to the incident who have informed me, the driver was under the influence of alcohol and collided with a motorcycle.

“They also confirm that he is intubated at trauma shock due to a lack of space in the intensive care unit of the Ciudad Hospitalaria Enrique Tejera.”

He leaves behind two children he had with Venezuelan model Taneth Gimenez.

His daughter, Loren Alejandra aged 11, and his son, Jesus Alejandro aged 10.

His shock death comes just days after baseball legend Sandy Alomar Sr died aged 81.

Alomar Sr was a Major League Baseball All-Star for the then-California Angels in the 1970s.

He also played for the New York Yankees and New York Mets before becoming a coach when he retired from playing on the field.

In his coaching career, he worked for the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies and the New York Mets 

The former Puerto Rican infielder was also the father of 1990 Rookie of the Year and six-time All-Star Sandy Alomar Jr and Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar.