Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel recovering after health scare

Charlie Manuel is preparing to return home to Florida after surviving a recent health scare that forced him to travel to Philadelphia last month.

Manuel, who turned 76 on Jan. 4, underwent planned hernia surgery in December in Florida. He was then forced to have a bowel resection and was sent to Philadelphia on Christmas Eve to be observed at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Six days later, Manuel suffered a bowel obstruction and remained at Jefferson. He was discharged last week and remains in the city.

“Thanks for the love,” Manuel wrote on Twitter. “I’m going to be fine.”

Manuel is expected to join the Phillies next month in Clearwater, Fla. as a guest instructor for spring training, a role he has filled for the last few seasons. Manuel lives 70 miles from Clearwater, in Winter Haven, Fla.

The team’s all-time winningest manager returned to the dugout last summer as an interim hitting coach for the final two months of the season after the Phillies fired John Mallee. His tenure was never planned to extend past the season, and Manuel returned this offseason to his post as a special adviser to general manager Matt Klentak.

“I’m thankful for the support of my Phillies family, my Philly friends, and staff at Jeff,” Manuel tweeted. “Here’s to 2020.”