Rachell Wolfe announced the death on her Facebook account, writing that her husband had endured a "really really difficult and torturous battle." "I'm sorry to write this but after a really really difficult and torturous battle Brian Wolfe passed away early this morning," she wrote. No cause of death has been reported.
Former MLB outfielder Brandon Barnes confirmed the passing in a video posted to social media on Wednesday, describing Wolfe as a close friend and mentor. "Life is too short and I know everybody says that. But I just lost one of my best friends and mentor," Barnes said in the Facebook video.
Wolfe was born in Fullerton, California, and was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the sixth round of the 1999 draft out of Servite High School. He spent six years pitching in the Twins' minor league system before he was released in May 2005, then finished that season in the Milwaukee Brewers' organization.
In January 2006, Milwaukee traded Wolfe to Toronto in exchange for Corey Koskie. He climbed quickly through the Blue Jays' system and made his big league debut in May 2007. That season he made a career-high 38 appearances out of the bullpen and posted a 2.98 ERA.
Over 72 major league appearances, all with Toronto, Wolfe went 5-5 with a 3.81 ERA. He became a free agent following the 2009 season and signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan, where he started 77 games from 2010 to 2013 as part of a nine-year career overseas in Nippon Professional Baseball.
Wolfe retired from baseball at 37 years old. His death drew immediate reaction from those who knew him in the game, with Barnes using his social media video to urge others to appreciate the time they have.