The New York Yankees have had eight members of their traveling party test positive for COVID-19, the team announced. Third base coach Phil Nevin, first base coach Reggie Willits, pitching coach Matt Blake, and four support staffers were among the positives earlier this week. On Thursday, the team announced infielder Gleyber Torres has tested positive as well.
As with the other seven positive cases, Torres had been fully vaccinated, and in fact he had previously contracted COVID-19 this past December. Here is the team’s statement:
“The Yankees can today confirm that INF Gleyber Torres has received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. He was fully vaccinated and previously had COVID-19 during the most recent baseball offseason … Torres is the eighth Yankees player, coach or traveling staff member to test positive this week. All of the positives are breakthrough positives, occurring with individuals who were fully vaccinated.
Major League Baseball, its medical experts and the New York State Department of Health are currently advising and assisting the Yankees, who continue to undergo additional testing and contact tracing.”
Nevin reportedly showed mild symptoms and the other seven were asymptomatic. Torres was held out of Wednesday’s lineup as MLB‘s joint committee reviewed his testing results. The positive tests come after the Yankees achieved the 85 percent vaccination threshold for relaxed health and safety protocols.
“The one positive for us is that today was the first day with no new cases,” manager Aaron Boone told reporters, including ESPN’s Marly Rivera, on Thursday. “That is the first time that has happened since we had the first case. So hopefully that is good news.”
The high rate of breakthrough positives — the official term for positive tests after being vaccinated — has led to the Centers or Disease Control and Prevention looking into the Yankees’ situation.
By Katherine Acquavella  & R.J. Anderson
