Masahiro Tanaka Struck by Ball as Yankees Take Health Hit
Saturday was the Yankees’ first official summer workout, a routine bit of preparation to start their coronavirus-shortened 2020 season. Instead of an ordinary practice at Yankee Stadium, the team witnessed a frightening incident in which a key pitcher was hit on the head with a line drive. And later in the day, it announced that two other players were absent from practice because they had tested positive for Covid-19.
Masahiro Tanaka, a two-time All-Star, lay motionless on the ground after being struck with a ball off the bat of his teammate, the slugger Giancarlo Stanton. Tanaka eventually sat up and walked off the field with two athletic trainers by his side. He was released from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital on Saturday night after being evaluated for concussion-like symptoms.
The Yankees also announced positive tests for star infielder D.J. LeMahieu and pitcher Luis Cessa with their permission, as league rules prevent teams from naming players without consent.
LeMahieu and Cessa remain isolated at their homes and will need to test negative before traveling to New York to join the team, Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said. LeMahieu has been asymptomatic, while Cessa has shown “very mild” symptoms of the virus.
