LOS ANGELES — Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew is undergoing a heart and kidney transplant.

The American Heart Association News reports that the surgery began around midnight Thursday and is expected to take up to 18 hours.

The 71-year-old former hitting star has struggled with heart issues since September 2015 when he had a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest while undergoing a procedure to open clogged arteries.

A machine has kept Carew alive since he nearly died 15 months ago. Removing that device is the first part of Friday’s surgery. Then he will receive a new heart. Doctors say the kidney transplant will improve his chances for a strong recovery.