Former New York Mets first baseman Ed Kranepool has received the gift of life in the form of a new kidney. Newsday reports Kranepool received a kidney transplant Tuesday at Stony Brook University Hospital. The 74-year-old Kranepool told Newsday before the surgery he would be hospitalized for up to five days before returning home to recover.

Last month, the New York Post reported a donor had been found for Kranepool, who is battling diabetes and other serious health issues. The Post reports Kranepool had been in need of a kidney transplant since at least last year.

It came from an anonymous donor, according to the team. Kranepool had hoped to get a transplant in January, but the donor had a health issue and the procedure fell through.

Kranepool, a Bronx native, played his entire career with the Mets and is in the team’s Hall of Fame. He was a member of their first team in 1962, was a National League All-Star in 1965 and helped the Mets win the 1969 World Series. Kranepool was a .261 career hitter and had 1,418 hits and 118 home runs in his 18-year career. He was the team’s all-time hits leader when he retired.

Kranepool told Newsday he hopes to be able to participate in the 50th anniversary celebration of the Miracle Mets on June 29 at Citi Field.

The Mets’ celebration won’t include, Tom Seaver, who has been diagnosed with dementia. The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced in March that Seaver has retired from public life. Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said at the time the organization will “honor him in special ways.” That includes a statue, which is expected to be unveiled in 2020. The team also changed its address at Citi Field, per the Hartford Courant:

“@CitiField is getting a permanent address change!” the club tweeted. “We will be officially renaming 126th Street to honor #TomSeaver.”

(NJ Advance Media’s James Kratch contributed to this report.)

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.