At least three Yankees players test positive for COVID-19, pausing MLB’s second-half return

The Major League Baseball All-Star week, highlighted by the annual AL vs. NL game and the Home Run Derby, proved once again to be the best All-Star event in all of professional sports. The baseball world is riding high on the wave of momentum that Fernando Tatís Jr., Vlad Guerrero Jr, Shohei Ohtani, and Pete Alonso provided. Baseball could not be set up better for a strong second half, starting with a series between American League East foes, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Yes, this is perfect.

Except it’s not.

Tonight’s game, the first of the second half, has been postponed because the Yankees are, once again, dealing with COVID-19 problems. If it sounds like a familiar story, it’s because it is. Three members of their staff tested positive for breakthrough cases of COVID-19 two months ago, despite being fully vaccinated.

As Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday, their three positive tests and the three tests that they have pending are all players. The players with a positive test have not been named, but the Yankees did place left-handers Nestor Cortes and Wandy Peralta on the COVID-19 injured list today. ESPN’s MLB insider Jeff Passan clarified a report that two Yankees position players have tested positive in addition to Cortes and Peralta.

So like, math. That sounds like four.

Why can’t we have nice things? Stupid COVID-19 needs to go away and allow us to get back to enjoying our sports (which really isn’t up to COVID, but more us, to do our part and get vaccinated).

Baseball is having a hard enough time without a dumb pandemic getting in the way.

So, on top of the numerous injuries, and on top of being second-to-last in their division and eight games out of first place (held by the Red Sox), the Yankees are now dealing with another round of COVID issues. It has been nothing short of a season-long battle for the Bronx Bombers.