New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman, left, leaves the field after a bullpen session with catcher Gary Sanchez last week. Chapman has tested positive for the coronavirus. Kathy Willens/Associated Press
New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms.
Manager Aaron Boone announced the diagnosis Saturday. He said Chapman “overall is doing well” but “will not be here for the foreseeable future.”
Chapman pitched in an intrasquad game Tuesday, and Boone wouldn’t comment on whether he had been at Yankee Stadium since. Boone said the team had gone through contact tracing protocols, and no other players or personnel would be forced to isolate because of Chapman’s positive test.
“We’re following all protocols,” Boone said. “We have not had any other positive tests. We adhere to all the contact tracing things. We feel like we’ve handled it and are handling it.
“Again, you know, this is something that even moving forward, a positive test is probably going to come our way. It’s about doing all the things that hopefully as a whole keep us safe and healthy,” he said.
New York is also without infielder DJ LeMahieu and right-hander Luis Cessa, who both tested positive prior to the start of preseason camp last week and are still isolating at home.
“It’s obviously just another reminder,” Boone said, “that we have to be vigilant as far as wearing our masks when possible, the distance, the decisions we’re making away from the field, to best we can stay out of harm’s way.”
RANGERS: Outfielder Joey Gallo says he doesn’t know if he actually had the coronavirus despite two positive tests, since he has never had any symptoms and also had multiple negative tests.
“I wish I had an answer,” he said Saturday, a day after he was able to join the team. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
Gallo said he planned to have a more extensive antibody test to be sure after a finger-prick test didn’t indicate that he had COVID-19 at any point.
The 26-year-old All-Star slugger missed the first week of the Rangers summer camp and isolated from teammates for two weeks after two positive tests that sandwiched a negative result during intake testing. He had two negative tests on his own outside of the MLB testing program, but wasn’t cleared to join the team until consecutive negative tests under the protocol.
“It was a strange process to go through. There wasn’t much anybody could have done because the test came up positive,” Gallo said. “It was weird, it was hard to get real answers on if I really had it or not. … As of right now I am coming up negative and that’s how I am hoping to stay the rest of the season.”
ASTROS: Houston canceled its workout after learning that a staff member could have been exposed to a person outside the organization with the coronavirus.
It’s the second time this week the Astros have canceled a workout because of concerns about the pandemic. Houston also scrapped its Monday workout because of delays with testing results due to the holiday weekend, as did some other teams around the majors.
General Manager James Click said they decided to cancel Saturday’s workout as a precaution.
“As part of MLB’s testing and reporting plan, we were alerted that a staff member was potentially exposed to a COVID-positive individual outside the organization,” Click said. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have canceled today’s workout. We are working closely with MLB and our team physicians to follow the established testing and cleaning protocols so that we can safely bring our players and staff back to the field as soon as possible.”
METS: Yoenis Cespedes is sure he’ll be ready to start the pandemic-delayed season.
Out of the lineup for almost two years, the 34-year-old slugger said he finally is close to fully recovered from a string of injuries to his feet and legs.
“I don’t have an exact percentage on how I feel, but I feel way better than I did back in March,” Cespedes said through a translator on a video conference call.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
