Because of the constancy of his presence in the Indians’ organization and the consistency of his upbeat attitude, fans here have never found it difficult to root for Carlos Carrasco. The man they call “Cookie” has a sweet way about him, a childlike goofiness he’s exhibited through his creative creation of baseballs bearing his teammates’ likenesses, his photobombing of interviews and his rare turn as a sideline reporter.

Oh, and he’s a pretty darn good pitcher, too.

So there’s an outpouring of emotion and good vibes being directed Carrasco’s way now that it is more widely known that he is in a very real and very scary fight for his life and his livelihood. In early June, the Indians announced that Carrasco was dealing with a blood condition that would keep him away from the team for the time being, and on Friday, we all found out the saddening severity of the situation: Carrasco told television network CDN 37 in the Dominican Republic that he has been diagnosed with leukemia.

In a statement Sunday, the club said Carrasco "was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a treatable form of leukemia and has since been cleared to resume strength and conditioning workouts and throwing activity to tolerance. He is being re-evaluated regularly and there is no timetable for return to baseball game activity."

Carrasco is 32 years old and has already endured and overcome much baseball and medical adversity.

He came to the United States from Venezuela and struggled so much with the language barrier that he ate the only thing he knew how to order (Domino’s pizza) every day for about three months. He was traded by the Phillies to the Indians in the high-profile Cliff Lee deal at age 22, and he had many fits and starts early in his big league career. Just when it appeared he was figuring things out in 2011, he injured his right elbow and had to have Tommy John surgery.

When Carrasco came back from surgery, he struggled to corral his stuff and control his emotions at times. He had a humbling demotion to the bullpen in 2014. He had a heart condition that required non-invasive surgery in 2015. And when he finally put it all together to become a legit No. 2 to Corey Kluber, he was struck by a comebacker that prematurely ended his 2016 season, just before the Indians went on a wild run to Game 7 of the World Series (we’ll always be left to wonder if they’d have finished the job with Cookie). Injuries aside, the past few years, Carrasco has been one of the more underrated starters in the sport.

Carrasco’s story, in other words, has been all over the map. But you’d be hard-pressed to find a more jovial and reliably and refreshingly congenial character in this grind of a game. His pleasant personality has never wavered. And having signed two extensions with a club unfortunately accustomed to seeing its stars leave for greener, green-inked pastures, neither has his place of employment. Carrasco has become the longest-tenured member of the Tribe, with fans of the club riding all the above waves right along with him.

While the news of any baseball player dealing with a situation like this carries great gravity, it hits home all the more when it’s a player like Carrasco -- a player fans genuinely feel an air of familiarity with.

Last season, Indians fans were incredibly supportive of Leonys Martin -- a player who had logged all of six games with the team after an in-season trade -- when he battled a life-threatening bacterial infection. While his stint with the club was short-lived when he was released last month, Martin returned this year to raucous cheers and a large “Wishing You Well, Leonys!” placard, signed by his Cleveland supporters, in his locker.

“I think I’m here today because of all the prayers of the fans,” Martin told reporters. “Whatever I do is not enough to be thankful to them.”

Those fans are rising to the occasion again for Carrasco, and this time the prayers and positivity are all the more personal. In a sport with a relentless and very public schedule, it can be difficult for people to find the space and privacy to deal with serious situations on their own terms. Hopefully, even though this very private matter is now public knowledge, Carrasco can get the space he deserves, along with the treatment he needs. And hopefully, he knows he’s got a lot of people pulling for him.