Despite some players testing positive for COVID-19, the MLB is expected to resume
Afro-Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman has COVID-19, and it is unclear if he will ever play again.
One of the New York Yankees’ prominent pitchers, and one of the fastest pitchers in Major League Baseball history, Chapman, 32, is out of the game according to the organization’s manager, Aaron Boone.
READ MORE: Ian Desmond calls out MLB for racism as he opts out of 2020 season
In a Zoom call on Saturday, Boone announced Chapman’s COVID-19 test results were positive, showing “mild symptoms” of the disease, The New York Daily News reported.
Boone, however, has decline to answer specific questions about Chapman’s health.
The Daily News reports that Chapman passed the league’s intake screening for the coronavirus on July 1, which could imply that his contracted the dieases as early as last Thursday, the Yankees last test.
Chapman, carrying the disease, was at the team’s training campsite, unwittingly exposing fellow players.
Boone seems to be unfazed.
“Right now we feel like we’re doing a good job of managing,” Boone said. “I feel like we’re following all protocols. We have not had any other positive tests.”
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Aaron Hicks, a center fielder for the Yankees, joined Boone’s Zoom call and reacted to the news.
“It’s tough especially when it comes to a teammate of yours they just test positive,” said Hicks, who like Chapman, joined the Yankees in 2016. “But you know, it just proves how safe we gotta be within our little bubble.”
Chapman is the third Yankees player to contract COVID-19 – DJ LeMahieu, the team’s second baseman who has been called best player during last season, and fellow Latino pitcher Luis Cessa tested positive.
The MLB is expected to have its 2020 season with a shorter schedule, The Associated Press reported. The opening game starts with the match between Yankees and last year’s World Series champion, Washington Nationals.
As theGrio previously reported, infielder and outfielder for the Colorado Rockies Ian Desmond has chosen to opt-out of the 2020 season and called out the MLB for their lack of diversity.
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