Former Cubs outfielder Terrance Gore dies at 34

Posted February 07, 2026 4:05 pm

Terrance Gore, a member of two World Series championship rosters known for his elite speed, has died at age 34.

Gore stole 43 bases in 52 attempts over 112 regular-season games, and swiped five bags as a pinch-running specialist in 11 postseason games as a member of the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.

The Royals drafted the 5-foot-7 outfielder in the 20th round in 2011 out of Gulf Coast State College, and he made his big-league debut for Kansas City on Aug. 31, 2014. He appeared in every postseason series that year for the Royals, including the World Series they lost in seven games to the San Francisco Giants.

Gore later earned his first championship ring with the Royals, who toppled the Mets in five games to win the title in 2015. He collected another after playing briefly for the Dodgers in 2020, but not in the postseason. He also had one plate appearance in the 2021 National League Wild-Card Series for the Braves, who went on to win the World Series.

The Royals, Cubs, Dodgers, Braves and MLB all posted condolences on social media, but did not disclose the cause of death.

Never known for his bat as a professional, Gore also stole 324 bases in the minors while hitting .237/.334/.274. Although he appeared in 49 games for the Royals in his first four seasons as a big leaguer, he didn’t collect his first hit until Sept. 8, 2018: a single against Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer while playing for the Cubs.

He then returned to the Royals with hopes of carving out a niche as something other than a base-running specialist and went 14 for 51 (.275) with six walks and 13 steals in 2019.

“I feel like some people think I am just a pinch runner or stuff like that — which I get,” Gore told The Athletic before that season. “That is one of my successful abilities, but I’ve been playing baseball since I was in tee ball. I’ve been playing the game forever.”