HOUSTON — The Yankees aren’t done with COVID.
Even though at least 85% of their traveling party is fully vaccinated, the pandemic struck again Saturday when reliever Jonathan Loaisiga was placed on the COVID injured list.
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone wouldn’t say if Loaisiga had tested positive.
“Just health and safety protocols,” Boone said before Saturday night’s Yankees-Astros game. “We’ll leave it at that for now.”
Boone did say that Loaisiga isn’t sick.
“He feels good,” the manager said.
The Yankees found out on Saturday morning about Loaisiga, who had pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a strikeout on Friday night to close out a 4-0 series-opening win over the Astros.
Unlike baseball’s 10-day injured list, there is no set amount of time a player has to be sidelined when on the COVID. A player can be cleared by MLB after consecutive negative tests.
Loaisiga, 26, has been one of the Yankees’ best relievers this season. In 36 appearances, he’s 7-3 with a 2.11 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 47 innings.
This is the second COVID outbreak of the season for the Yankees, who were without shortstop Gleyber Torres, three coaches and five staffers in May due to positive tests. Torres missed seven games. Third base coach Phil Nevin was away from the team for almost four weeks.
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