JOrdan Montgomery, a left-handed pitcher for the New York Yankees, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, a day after Gerrit Cole, his teammate in the starting rotation, was also sidelined by the coronavirus.
General manager Brian Cashman revealed Montgomery’s positive result during a radio interview before the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium.
Cole, the All-Star pick, was set to open Tuesday’s game, but manager Aaron Bone revealed that the right-hander had contracted COVID-19 prior to Monday’s engagement, a 7-1 loss to the Orioles.
Dominican prospect Luis Gil replaced Cole to make his major league debut.
Montgomery and Cole, team leaders with 21 starts each, will be out for at least 10 days, unless they test two negatives.
Montgomery’s most recent start came Sunday, when he went without a decision in a 3-1 win over Miami.
The positive results came after the Yankees returned from a week-long tour of Florida, one of the states where COVID-19 cases are increasing.
At least 85% of New York players are vaccinated. Boone believes that the decision to immunize is up to the players.