Yankees: DJ LeMahieu’s Coronavirus Testing Story Proves How Tough 2020 Season Will Be

Yankees star DJ LeMahieu’s coronavirus testing story is alarming.

Even though he’s a long shot to be in the lineup on Opening Day, Yankees fans are undoubtedly thrilled that DJ LeMahieu has joined his teammates at summer camp following his laborious battle with the coronavirus.

The three-time All-Star returned to the Bronx two weeks after manager Aaron Boone announced that he was asymptomatic and quarantining at his home in Michigan. However, despite not feeling any effects of COVID-19, LeMahieu revealed that his negative tests were anything but reliable.

The full quote is incredibly alarming and really proves how difficult it will be for MLB to complete its 60-game season, which is set to get underway next week.

“It was surprising. It was shocking. It’s definitely a scary thing when you have something that there’s no cure for,” LeMahieu told reporters. “I didn’t really have any symptoms; very surprised I tested positive. I was lucky I wasn’t in contact with hardly anyone when I got the news. I really didn’t do a lot, just kind of hung out and tried to get those negative tests and get back here as soon as I could.”

The 32-year-old’s story should sound the alarms for MLB, which recently disclosed the results of its latest sample of tests. Per ESPN insider Buster Olney, just six of the 10,548 individuals examined tested positive.

As encouraging as those results are, LeMahieu’s experience is just further confirmation that the virus can be silent, which is a big reason for its rapid spread. Odds are that if one player on a club tests positive, others will in short order. The last thing MLB wants to see is a side being forced to pull out of the restart as a result of being unable to field a competitive team.

We want fans to be ecstatic that baseball is finally returning, but they should also realize that it could be taken away again just as easily.