Influx of MLB players either test positive for coronavirus or decide not to play this season

Freddie Freeman

Major League Baseball has not even started its season yet, and all of a sudden we have seen a significant number of players who have either tested positive for coronavirus, or have decided not to compete this season because of the disease. Many of the players are household names.

Let us start with the seven players who have decided not to play at all this season, due to the risk of capturing the disease, or due to the fact that they do not want to put their family members at risk. This list at this time features Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher and 2012 American League Cy Young Award winner David Price, Washington Nationals corner infielder Ryan Zimmerman, catcher Welington Castillo,  and pitcher Joe Ross, along with Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Mike Leake, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher and 2010 American League Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez, and Colorado Rockies multi-positional player Ian Desmond.

Then on Friday, we learned that 31 players have tested positive for coronavirus. We do not know the identity of all players at this time, however, since today we do know the identity of some. On the list include 21 players who played Major League Baseball in 2019. They are Cleveland Indians outfielder Delino DeShields Jr.; San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, shortstop Pete Kozma, and relief pitchers Will Smith and Touki Toussaint; Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano and catcher Willians Astudillo; Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon and relief pitcher Phillip Diehl; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez; New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu and relief pitcher Luis Cessa; Philadelphia Phillies centerfielder Scott Kingery, relief pitchers Tommy Hunter, Ranger Suarez and Hector Neris; Boston Red Sox relief pitchers Josh Taylor and Darwinzon Hernandez; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Genesis Cabrera, and Texas Rangers relief pitcher Brett Martin. 

 

 

 

 

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