Yankees officially battling six COVID-19 cases

The Yankees’ are officially up to six confirmed COVID-19 cases, and will embark on a critical stretch of their season without Aaron Judge and Gio Urshela, among others.

Judge, Urshela and Kyle Higashioka were the newest Yankees to land on the COVID-19 injured list Friday, a day after the Yankees confirmed that Jonathan Loaisiga, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Wandy Peralta had all tested positive for the virus.

Aaron Boone did not name Judge, Urshela and Higashioka as having tested positive, but said that the three positive tests that GM Brian Cashman said Thursday were “pending” have since been confirmed. Boone added that he expects the players on the COVID-19 list to be out at least 10 days as the Yankees try to get their season back on track.

06/22/21 - Yankees' Kyle Higashioka rounds the bases
Klye Higashioka officially landed on the COVID IL on Friday.
Bill Kostroun

“That’s our reality right now,” Boone said Friday before beginning a key series against the Red Sox. “We gotta make the best of it.”

While Cashman said Loaisiga, Cortes and Peralta were all breakthrough cases, that is not the case for all six players — meaning not all of them have been vaccinated.

Boone said the Yankees did not have any new positives on Friday.

Adding in a new regular-IL stint — with Luke Voit being sidelined with a bone bruise in his left knee — the Yankees got a carpool of replacements from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday. Chris Gittens was called up to replace Voit while catcher Rob Brantly, outfielder Greg Allen and infielder Joy Hun Park were all added to the roster.

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