Yankees minor league player tests positive for coronavirus

Given the scope of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, there was little doubt a professional baseball player would eventually test positive for COVID-19. Today, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that a Yankees minor league player tested positive. The player is the first reported case among professional baseball players.

Passan reported further that the player apparently only spent time at the minor league side of the Yankees’ spring training facility, which is roughly a mile away from the major league portion. Of course, this does not mean that players on the major league side of the facility were completely safe from exposure to the virus, given how quickly it can spread, and the many other minor league players at the facility surely could been exposed. Jon Heyman reports that the player is recovering well.

Earlier this week, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus, the first confirmed case among American professional athletes, spurring the NBA to suspend its season. Leagues like the NHL, MLS, and MLB followed suit soon after. Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell also tested positive, and Arsenal soccer manager Mikel Arteta tested positive, leading to the suspension of the English Premier League.

This is a developing situation, and we’ll keep you updated as things progress. There’s only direction that this goes, however. This is a global pandemic that will touch all of us in some way and will impact us for a very long time. There will surely be more stories in the future of high-profile athletes and celebrities testing positive for coronavirus.

As always, please be safe everyone, and consider social distancing whenever possible.