New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced on Sunday that first baseman and key trade-deadline acquisition Anthony Rizzo has landed on the COVID-19 injured list after testing positive for the virus.
He’ll be forced to miss at least 10 days to get over the virus, though Boone noted that Rizzo has been feeling some symptoms including achiness. Rizzo, who is not vaccinated, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2008 and has expressed his hesitancy to receive the vaccine.
Rizzo had been red-hot since he was acquired by the Yankees from the Chicago Cubs just before Major League Baseball’s July 31 trade deadline. He posted a .963 OPS with three home runs and six RBI in nine games. It was no surprise that the Yankees went on a hot streak of their own after Rizzo and Joey Gallo were introduced to their ranks, winning seven of their last eight prior to Sunday’s series finale against the Seattle Mariners.
COVID continues to be a serious issue with the Yankees despite having more than 85% of their Tier 1 personnel vaccinated, which allowed them to relax some of the MLB-mandated protocols.
However, the Yankees continue to feel the impact of the virus as Rizzo is the 10th player this season to contract COVID. The star-studded list has also featured Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, Jordan Montgomery, Jonathan Loaisiga and Gio Urshela.
In the last week alone, Cole, Montgomery, and Gary Sanchez have tested positive for the virus.
