Yankees Minor League Player Reportedly Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Megan ArmstrongSenior Analyst IIMarch 15, 2020

LAKELAND, FL - MARCH 01: A detailed view of a pair of official Rawlings Major League Baseball baseballs with the imprinted signature of Robert D. Manfred Jr., the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, sitting in the dugout prior to the Spring Training game between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium on March 1, 2020 in Lakeland, Florida. The Tigers defeated the Yankees 10-4. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Mark Cunningham/Getty Images

An unnamed player in the New York Yankees minor league system has tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19), according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

"He is the first known case in baseball," Passan wrote. "He was quarantined Friday morning after saying he was running a fever."

Passan added: "The Yankees player who tested positive for coronavirus was only on the minor league side of the team's facility in Tampa. Still, as we're learning about coronavirus' ability to spread, that distance alone does not necessarily protect those who are nearby from contracting it."

Jeff Passan @JeffPassan
The New York Yankees have told all their minor league players that they should quarantine for two weeks, sources told ESPN. The team will deliver food to the players in their hotel rooms.

MLB announced Thursday it was suspending spring training and delaying Opening Day by at least two weeks in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reported the Yankees confirmed the anonymous player's positive COVID-19 test:

Bryan Hoch @BryanHoch
The Yankees’ minor league complex was closed on Friday and Saturday. Yankees PR said there is no link from the infected player to anyone in big league camp.

The NBA and NHL along with MLS have all suspended games in response to the coronavirus. NCAA Division I men's and women's conference tournaments and their respective NCAA tournaments were also canceled.

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There are now over 3,000 cases of the coronavirus in the United States, according to CNN.