Dominican outfielder Gregory Polanco, of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cuban Yasiel Puig, who was close to signing for the Atlanta Braves, reported this Friday that they tested positive for coronavirus.
These announcements come on the same day that Major League Baseball (MLB) reported that only five players had tested positive for 10,548 COVID-19 tests applied in the past week, with teams preparing for the start of the season on July 23.
The MLB did not identify the five players who tested positive in that weekly period, which ended Thursday.
“Although I obtained a positive result, I am asymptomatic and I feel completely fine,” Yasiel Puig said in a message on his Twitter account. “I will be in quarantine until I receive two negative test results, which I hope will arrive soon.”
Puig, who helped the Los Angeles Dodgers reach the 2017 and 2018 World Series, defected from Cuba in 2012 and signed a seven-year deal with the Dodgers.
Last season, the 29-year-old played for the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians.
According to US media, Puig was negotiating his signing for the Atlanta Braves to replace Nick Markakis, who resigned to participate in the season due to the risks of the coronavirus pandemic.
Puig has a .277 batting average with 132 home runs and 435 runs batted in seven seasons.
On his side, Gregory Polanco gave the Pirates permission to announce the positive result of their test. Manager Derek Shelton said the 28-year-old could return in time for the team’s debut on July 24 in St. Louis.
Polanco has not trained with the Pirates for the last four days to avoid contagion among his teammates.
The Dominican has played for the Pirates since 2014, hitting a .253 average with 78 home runs and 304 runs batted.
In its report on Friday, the Major Leagues specified that the 21,701 tests applied since June 27, a week before the start of training, have registered 93 positive cases of coronavirus, 80 of them players, a percentage of 0.4 %.
The 2020 MLB season, whose schedule has been shortened to 60 games, will be played in the stadiums of the teams behind closed doors due to the pandemic, which prevented the season from starting in March as planned. AFP (HN)