Prince Fielder became the butt of many jokes in the Rangers clubhouse after he was sent home from spring training earlier this week to undergo a sleep study, but the results were no laughing matter for the slugger.
Fielder was diagnosed with sleep apnea, a potentially dangerous disorder in which breathing stops and starts during the night. Tests at the Arlington Sleep Center (ASC) determined that Fielder's breathing stopped 39 times an hour during the test, well into severe territory, according to the Dallas Morning News.
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It's the same condition that contributed to Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White's death at only 43-years-old.