Stephen Piscotty's mother, Gretchen, dies after ALS battle

Gretchen Piscotty, the mother of Oakland Athletics outfielder Stephen Piscotty, died Sunday at 55 following a battle with ALS.

"The Athletics organization extends its deepest condolences to the Piscotty family on the loss of Gretchen," executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said in a statement. "She was a devoted wife and mother, whose legacy will live on through her husband, Mike, and their sons Stephen, Austin and Nick."

Gretchen was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in May 2017. Piscotty was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to Oakland in December in part to allow him to be closer to his mother. In a recent profile by ESPN, Piscotty said it was important to spend as much time with Gretchen as possible and described the trade as "a dream to be close to my mom and family."

Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak also issued a statement on behalf of his organization.

"From the moment we drafted and signed Stephen, he and his family became a part of the Cardinal family," Mozeliak wrote, according to MLB.com's Joe Trezza. "We were saddened to hear of the passing of Gretchen and want to let Stephen and his family know that we pass on our heartfelt condolences."

Piscotty has appeared in 32 games for the Athletics this season.