LEADING OFF: Padres, Yanks carry on thru COVID outbreaks

A look at what's happening around the majors Thursday:

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PANDEMIC PROBLEMS

The San Diego Padres and New York Yankees are both short-staffed due to COVID-19 outbreaks, but neither has had to interrupt their schedule.

San Diego stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Wil Myers have tested positive, and Eric Hosmer, Jurickson Profar and Jorge Mateo were held out of Wednesday's doubleheader in Colorado due to contact tracing. The Padres are off on Thursday before starting a home series against NL Central-leading St. Louis on Friday night.

Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres was kept out of Wednesday night’s starting lineup at Tampa Bay as a precaution as the number of confirmed positive tests among the team’s coaching and support staff reached seven.

Manager Aaron Boone said MLB’s Joint COVID-19 Health and Safety Committee is waiting and reviewing a number of test results. The members of New York’s traveling party have been tested at least three times each since Tuesday.

The Yankees have been relaxing virus protocols since April 30 after passing MLB's 85% vaccination threshold among tier 1 staff, including players, coaches and trainers. Boone said the vaccinations were blunting the virus' effects, with only one person showing symptoms.

New York is slated to wrap its series at Tampa Bay.

BURNES RETURNS

Brewers ace Corbin Burnes is set face St. Louis in his first start since testing positive for the coronavirus last month. The right-hander is 2-2 with a 1.53 ERA, 49 strikeouts and no walks in 29 1/3 innings, but he hasn't pitched since April 26.

Burnes confirmed Wednesday that he had COVID-19 but said he was asymptomatic. Milwaukee has achieved the 85% vaccination rate required by MLB to ease certain safety protocols, but Burnes said he opted against inoculation for personal reasons....

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/LEADING-OFF-Padres-Yanks-carry-on-thru-COVID-16172901.php