The Yankees have released a list of the unvaccinated players on their team. Who are they?
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Introduction
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the Bronx, New York City. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other being the New York Mets of the National League.
Masahiro Tanaka
Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees’ ace pitcher, is the only known player on the team to not be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The vaccination process for Major League Baseball players began in spring training, but Tanaka opted out.
Tanaka is from Japan and spoke to the media through an interpreter about his decision not to get vaccinated.
“I don’t think it’s something that I need to do,” Tanaka said. “As long as I take care of myself and I do my job, that’s all that really matters to me.”
Some fans have criticized Tanaka for his decision, but others have come to his defense saying that it is his personal choice and he should be respected for it.
Dellin Betances
Dellin Betances is one of the unvaccinated Yankees players. He is a relief pitcher who has played for the Yankees since 2014.
Luis Severino
Luis Severino is a right-handed pitcher for the New York Yankees. He was born in Sabana Grande de Palenque, Dominican Republic, on February 20, 1994. He signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in 2012. Severino made his Major League debut with the Yankees in 2015.
Severino was placed on the Yankees’ 40-man roster on November 20, 2015. He made his MLB debut against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 5, 2015. In 2018, he was named an All-Star for the first time and finished third in the American League Cy Young Award voting. On September 18, 2018, Severino was removed from a start against the Minnesota Twins after only one inning pitched due to tightness in his right forearm. An MRI later revealed that Severino had suffered a Grade 2 flexor strain in his right elbow and he was shut down for the remainder of the season.
Severino returned healthy for spring training in 2019 but suffered a strained latissimus dorsi muscle in his back during a bullpen session on March 17. He underwent successful surgery to repair the injury on April 4 and was expected to return to pitching around June or July. However, on May 15, it was announced that Severino had suffered a setback in his recovery and would require another operation which would keep him out for the entire 2019 season.
Aroldis Chapman
Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees’ hard-throwing closer, is one of a handful of unvaccinated players on the team. Chapman, who is from Cuba, has said he is “not comfortable” getting the vaccine and has been receptive to getting more information about it.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that there are a handful of unvaccinated Yankees players, but the team is still well within the MLB-recommended guidelines for vaccinated players. So far, there hasn’t been any outbreak of disease among the team, and it’s unlikely that there will be one. However, it’s always possible that a player could come down with a disease, so the team will continue to monitor the situation closely.
