Second Yankees Minor Leaguer Tests Positive For Coronavirus

5:20pm: The Yankees have confirmed the report, issuing a statement announcing that while in self-quarantine, the still-unnamed player reported “fatigue and an elevated body temperature” to team medical personnel. The player remains in quarantine, and his symptoms have begun to dissipate, per the club.

10:59am: A second, unnamed Yankees minor-leaguer has tested positive for coronavirus infection, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). The prior positive test emerged two days ago.

The Yankees and the rest of the league have already halted Spring Training, of course. But this transmission is surely the result of prior interactions between the players.

Some players are still training at spring sites. MLB players have been granted permission to do so at their own election. Most minor-leaguers have been ordered home, though some — injury rehabbers and some other ad hoc cases — have remained. The Yankees had already closed their facility after the initial positive test.

Heyman writes that some players — it’s not clear which — will remain in self-quarantine and receive testing. It’s not known just how this most recent positive test came about — presumably, the player showed symptoms — or precisely what broader testing plans the Yankees have.

There’s a broader point of controversy surrounding the apparent ability of sports teams to command tests while they still aren’t widely available. The Yankees previously indicated they had only procured one test (the previous positive).