New York – Play ball – and mask up, too.
Protective face coverings won’t be out of sight when Major League Baseball resumes in less than two weeks. Some players and coaches are planning to wear them on the field.
MLB’s safety protocols require masks in clubhouses to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and coaches and managers are required to wear them in dugouts, but they’re optional on the field. Some are going to wear them during games as well.
Among those encouraging masks: Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen.
Jansen said he recently tested postive for COVID-19, causing him to report late to summer camp. He took part Sunday and said he’s « doing great and better now.”
Jansen expects to be ready for the season opener on July 23, when San Francisco visits Dodger Stadium.
The three-time All-Star closer said Sunday on a video conference call that he believes he contracted the virus from his 4-year-old son Kaden. He said the child had a fever, among other symptoms, which led his wife to suggest everyone in the family get tested.
Jansen said his first test was negative, but a day later he tested positive. The couple has another son, Kyrian, who turns 2 in August. The family has been quarantining at their home in Los Angeles. Jansen’s 7-year-old daughter, Natalia, lives with her mother and was not affected.
Jansen said he’s « doing great and better now.”
« It is real,” he said of the pandemic. « Everyone in the world, take it serious. Wear your mask at all times, if you can. Because, trust me, it happens so fast. Once my son got it, I’ve seen how fast it can spread. We tried to do everything, but we all got it in the house.”
New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier has been experimenting with various masks during intrasquad scrimmages. He says it’s not only a matter of safety but setting an example during televised games.
« We have a big platform,” Frazier said.
Yankees teammates Aroldis Chapman, DJ LeMahieu and Luis Cessa already are all sidelined due to the virus.
Frazier won’t be alone with a face covering.
« I’m masking up, too,” Atlanta third base coach Ron Washington said.
At 68, Washington has seen fellow Braves coach Eric Young Sr. opt out this season. Mets hitting coach Chili Davis is working remotely.
« I know I’m one of the high-risk guys,” he said. « I trust the protocol that MLB has in place and I also trust Ron Washington even more.”
« This is very safe,” he said Sunday, adding, « Sixty games? I can hide out for 60 games.”
Wearing a mask, that is.
Most players have gone mask-less during on-field workouts.
« I won’t be wearing a mask during a game,” Cincinnati pitcher Trevor Bauer said recently. « If I have a mask on, it will be hard for me to breathe.”
On Sunday, another major leaguer was out of commission because of COVID-19. Brewers pitcher Eric Lauer said he’s on the injured list because he was in close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. His test result was negative.
Brewers shortstop Luis Urias and pitcher Angel Perdomo are sidelined because of the virus. Both have tested positive but don’t have symptoms, manager Craig Counsell said.
While players scrimmage to get ready for games, umpires also are starting to return.
The Yankees brought in professional umpires Sean Barber, Roberto Ortiz and Junior Valentine to oversee an intrasquad game Sunday after using bullpen catcher Radley Haddad to call balls and strikes during scrimmages. More umpires are expected to start working intrasquad games this week.
« That’s not an easy job,” said outfielder Brett Gardner, who was displeased with a called third strike by Haddad a day earlier.
Source : Baseball – The Japan Times