The NBA suspending its season indefinitely due to now two Jazz players in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell contracting coronavirus hasn't just affected the basketball world. Players around MLB were on notice as well.
Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole called the situation a "shock" on Thursday after his workout down in Tampa, according to NJ.com's Brendan Kuty. Seeing an entire league shut down made people rightfully wonder if it might impact MLB with Opening Day right around the corner.
Cole is still preparing to start Opening Day against the Orioles on March 26, but he is well aware that might not happen.
Manager Aaron Boone recognizes that as well, but he's also preparing for the regular start to the season.
"I really don't have anything other than I've been watching TV like you guys do," he said. "I don't have anything about any plans or non-plans or whatever, so just treating it as getting ready for a ballgame."
GM Brian Cashman added that the team's pro scouts have been sent home, while amateur scouts are not allowed to fly. However, he is also unaware of what the league intends to do, saying "that's above my pay grade."
Zack Britton is the Yankees' players union rep and he said that he would be "open to continuing playing games as normal if that's what doctors/CDC says is OK," Kuty added. However, it would be hard for MLB to do so considering every other major sports league in the country, including the NCAA, is trending toward shutting things down until the virus is more under control.
"It makes it that much more real," J.A. Happ told The Post's Ken Davidoff about the NBA shutdown. "To see a whole league be postponed for the time being, we just haven't seen it."
So as the days get closer to Opening Day, more information about what the league is going to do with this pandemic will become more clear. Until then, the Yankees -- as well as the entire baseball world -- will be in wait-and-see mode.
"We're wondering what's going to happen, too," Masahiro Tanaka said.