With new directives potentially coming from the state of Florida in their efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus, the situation at the Yankees' spring training facility in Tampa could be up in the air.
It's possible that fitness centers will be closed soon in the state, with there also potentially being a shelter-in-place order from Hillsborough County, according to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News, who reports that some of the players still working out at the facility are concerned about it shutting down.
"I don't know. That's something I am going to have to think about. Maybe Arizona," Tyler Wade told Ackert about where he might go if the facility closes. "I think a lot of guys are going out there. Hopefully, maybe since our numbers are small, I mean there's three of us, four of us in there not counting the rehab guys. They are doing their thing in the training room... so we're never this close to each other. So hopefully it's beneficial to us."
Several Yankees players, including Wade, Aaron Judge, and DJ LeMahieu, have continued to work out at the Yankees' spring training facility with group workouts no longer permitted and the players practicing social distancing.
LeMahieu said last week that gyms were all closed in Michigan (where he lives) and that working out in Tampa was keeping him "sane."
Manager Aaron Boone, much of his staff, and a bunch of players left spring training in Tampa last Tuesday to head home, but LeMahieu, some of his teammates, and some members of the coaching staff -- including hitting coach Marcus Thames -- remain.
Judge, who is working his way back from multiple injuries, told Ackert that continuing to work out at the facility has been beneficial.
"The great thing is that they have this open so we can kind of come here and still do some baseball activity and stay ready and it's gonna feel like we're still in baseball mode, but it's kind of the one thing," Judge said.
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The Yankees have had two minor leaguers test positive for coronavirus, with the second one testing positive last Tuesday and their minor league players still quarantined.
"We can confirm that a second minor league player from our Player Development complex has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus," the Yankees said in a team statement last Tuesday. "While under self-quarantine, the player reported fatigue and an elevated body temperature to Yankees medical personnel. The test was administered on Sunday, and the player returned to self-quarantine following the positive results. We can also report that within the past 48 hours his symptoms have dissipated. We will continue to follow all protocols and recommendations established by local and federal public health experts and Major League Baseball."
With Major League Baseball following guidelines that recently recommended no mass-gatherings for eight weeks during the coronavirus pandemic, the earliest the regular season will start is the second week of May.