bell took a medical leave of absence from the team on september 20, 2006 after a lump was discovered on his tonsils. bell had experienced difficulty swallowing in the previous weeks, and went to the mayo clinic in scottsdale, arizona following the advice of royals medical staff. bell's wife has battled tonsil cancer as well. on august 1, 2007, bell announced that he would not be returning to the royals bench at the conclusion of the 2007 season. bell stated that his decision was his own, not based on pressure from the royals front office, and that he wished to spend more time with his family.