Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona has made it clear his health takes top priority at this point in his career.

Francona will undergo several surgeries for his shoulder and hernia at the end of the 2023 MLB season. He's aware the lengthy recovery process will take a toll on his potential return to the Guardians' dugout in 2024. Whether he retires or not, the 64-year-old skipper wants to focus on his health moving forward, per APNews.com's Brian Dulik.

“I need to get healthy for my life, and this lifestyle is just too difficult. I also know how I feel about doing the job a certain way, and I don't think I can necessarily do that anymore. And that bothers me,” Francona said on Wednesday.

“I don't want to fib to people (about my future), but I also don't want to the last six weeks to be about me. The focus has to be on the players,” Francona added.

For his part, Guardians team president Chris Antonetti is keen on Terry Francona extending his tenure as manager beyond his 11th season. However, he also said Francona's family and life outside of baseball take precedence.

Francona's past health issues include pulmonary embolism, circulation issues, irregular heartbeat, and blood clots. He missed a huge chunk of the 2020 and 2021 MLB seasons so he could recover from his blood clotting issues. Francona also sat out a game against the Kansas City Royals due to lightheadedness on June 29.

Terry Francona hinted at a possible retirement on Tuesday. Will the three-time AL Manager of the Year say goodbye to baseball soon? Guardians fans await his decision with bated breath.