The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
Freeman tests positive for COVID-19
Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was among four players from the Major League Baseball outfit to test positive for COVID-19, team manager Brian Snitker said.
In a statement, Snitker said pitchers Touki Toussaint and Will Smith as well as shortstop Pete Kozma had caught the virus.
The Braves added that Toussaint and Smith were asymptomatic but Freeman and Kozma were battling a fever and other symptoms.
"Freeman isn't feeling great, but he's young and strong," Snitker said of the 30-yearold.
"He's going to want to get back out there sooner than later. But the biggest thing we want him to do is just get right and to get better, and then he'll get back at it."
MLB announced the results of its first set of mandatory tests on Friday and said 31 players and seven staff members had tested positive.
The league and its players' association agreed a shortened, 60-game 2020 campaign that would begin on either
July 23 or 24 with no fans present.
MLB was scheduled to open its 162-game regular season in March but delayed the campaign because of the virus pandemic that has killed more than 129,700 people in the United States.
TANAKA HURT IN PRACTIC
New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of teammate Giancarlo Stanton on Saturday, has been released from hospital, the Major League Baseball team said on Saturday.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Tanaka had concussion-like symptoms before leaving for the hospital but they have since dissipated and a CT scan returned negative.
Tanaka will have to go through concussion protocol before returning to the field, Boone said.
In a terrifying scene during his team's first official workout since returning from the COVID-19 layoff, the right-handed Japanese pitcher immediately dropped to the ground where he remained for several minutes.
Trainers and teammates rushed to the mound where Tanaka, 31, was tended to. He was then helped to his feet and walked off the field with the assistance of trainers.
"Anytime you see that on a baseball field and then add a layer, that it's a teammate, I mean that stops you in your tracks and you hope for the best," said Boone.
Tanaka, who was facing his third batter of the day in the simulated game, was responsive after the incident but was sent to hospital for further evaluation and testing.
After the incident a protective screen was placed in front of the mound before Jordan Montgomery took over pitching duties.
"I was a little timid after seeing that, a little squirrelly," said Montgomery.
"That's kind of a freak accident, a one-in-a-million chance of happening. And then it does, it's terrifying. Especially as a teammate and friend, you don't want to see anybody hurting."
Tanaka became the fifthhighest paid MLB pitcher when the prized free agent signed with New York in 2014 following a dominant career with Japan's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
In 2019, Tanaka finished the season with a record of 11-9 in 31 starts with an earned run average of 4.45.
PRICE PASSES ON SEASON
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price said on Saturday he has decided not to play in Major League Baseball's coronavirus-delayed 2020 season to protect his and his family's health. Price, a five-time allstar and former Cy Young Award winner who won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, took part in spring training with the Dodgers before action was suspended in mid-march due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
"After considerable thought and discussion with my family and the Dodgers, I have decided it is in the best interest of my health and my family's health for me not to play this season," Price said on Twitter.