Barber puts two Chiefs on COVID list

Less than a week before the Super Bowl, the Chiefs have a pair of players on the reserve/ COVID-19 list because of high-risk close contacts. Their close contact? A barber.

A barber tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Feb. 1 and gave wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and backup center Daniel Kilgore haircuts, a source confirmed to The Kansas City Star. The NFL Network first reported the news.

Robinson and Kilgore have tested negative and were wearing masks while getting haircuts, as was the barber. If they continue to test negative, they can return to the team in time for the Super Bowl.

BARKLEY SAYS KNEE ‘DOING WELL’ » Saquon Barkley says his surgically repaired knee is doing well, though the New York Giants star running back won’t set a target date for his return.

Barkley, the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, tore his right ACL in Week 2 and missed the rest of the 2020 season. The Giants finished 6-10, one win short of winning the dreadful NFC East.

MLB

TWINS REACH 1-YEAR, $13M DEAL WITH CRUZ » The Minnesota Twins are bringing back designated hitter Nelson Cruz on a one-year, $13 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.

The agreement was reached Feb. 2 and confirmed Feb. 3 to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending completion of a physical exam.

Cruz turned 40 last season and batted .303 with 16 home runs, 33 RBIs and a .992 OPS in 53 games during the pandemicshortened schedule.

He has led the team in homers in each of his two years with the Twins while ranking second and fourth, respectively, in the AL in OPS. The six-time All-Star won Silver Slugger awards in 2019 and 2020, when the Twins won the AL Central both seasons.