NEW YORK — The Yankees activated All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman from the injured list after he recovered from COVID-19.

The move came befor Monday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox.

Chapman tested positive for the coronavirus during preseason camp on July 11 and has been away from the club since. The left-hander experienced only mild symptoms and constructed a weight room in his Manhattan apartment to stay in shape while quarantined.

The 32-year-old Chapman was cleared to resume activity July 31 and has been working out at the team’s alternate site in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Chapman had a 2.21 ERA and 37 saves in 60 appearances last season. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he’ll be conservative with Chapman’s workload early on, but he anticipates using his closer in high-leverage situations immediately.

“Save situation, he’ll be in there tonight,” Boone said.

AL batting leader DJ LeMahieu is expected to miss two to three weeks after going on the injured list Sunday with a sprained left thumb.

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Two doctors have evaluated imaging of LeMahieu’s thumb and agree there is a sprain but no fracture, and the Yankees also plan to consult the hand specialist that treated LeMahieu when he had a similar injury in 2018 while with Colorado. LeMahieu broke a small bone in his thumb that year and missed about 2 1/2 weeks.

“Feel petty good about where it’s at right now,” Boone said about his leadoff man, who is batting .411.

Injured outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton both worked out at Yankee Stadium on Monday, and Judge planned to resume baseball activities. Judge was placed on the injured list last week with a right calf strain, and Stanton is recovering from a strained left hamstring.

Judge pleaded with the Yankees not to go on the injured list and believes he could already be back playing, but New York is being cautious. He’s eligible to be activated Saturday.

Stanton hasn’t played since Aug. 8. The oft-injured slugger was slimmed down and moving better this season before the injury, and he said Monday that made it all the more frustrating to end up on the IL yet again.

Stanton has been placed on the IL/DL in six of his nine pro seasons and appeared in just 18 games in 2019.

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“Words can’t really describe the disappointment I’ve had over this,” he said Monday. He also acknowledged resentment held by some Yankees fans, saying that if he were in their shoes, “I would be disappointed. I am disappointed.”

REDS: Cincinnati scheduled a flight to Kansas City early Tuesday for a two-game series against the Royals that was put in doubt after a Cincinnati player tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.

Players, coaches and other organization members were retested for the novel coronavirus on Saturday and Sunday after one player was sidelined because of a positive result. The final two games of a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park were postponed.

Monday was a scheduled day off, with Major League Baseball awaiting test results.

The Reds made travel plans for Kansas City and expected to start Luis Castillo (0-2) in the series opener Tuesday night, assuming it’s played. After two games in Kansas City, the Reds are scheduled to fly to St. Louis for four games and to Milwaukee for four more.

The Reds are the third MLB team to have games postponed because at least one of its players tested positive for COVID-19, joining the Marlins and the Cardinals.

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The two postponed games against Pittsburgh haven’t been rescheduled.

Under medical privacy rules, teams aren’t allowed to identify players who test positive for COVID-19. The player who tested positive would be placed on the injured list before the start of the series in Kansas City.

TIGERS: Detroit is calling up three prospects, including right-hander Casey Mize, this week to make their major league debuts against the Chicago White Sox.

Tigers General Manager Al Avila said Mize is scheduled to start Wednesday night at Chicago after left-hander Tarik Skubal goes Tuesday night against the White Sox. Mize, 23, was the No. 1 pick overall in the 2018 amateur draft.

Avila said Monday that infielder Isaac Paredes also was called up and infielder Dawel Lugo was designated for assignment.

The rebuilding Tigers have been patiently developing their young players, but a combination of their talent and the team’s needs led to the moves.

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CARDINALS: St. Louis optioned right-hander Roel Ramírez to its alternate training site, a day after he surrendered four consecutive homers in his major league debut.

The 25-year-old Ramírez will remain with the team in Chicago on its taxi squad. He yielded consecutive drives by Yoán Moncada, Yasmani Grandal, José Abreu and Eloy Jiménez in the fifth inning of the Cardinals’ 7-2 loss to the White Sox on Sunday.

Right-hander Nabil Crismatt was promoted from the team’s training site in Springfield, Missouri. St. Louis also announced that right-hander Jake Woodford will serve as the 29th man for its doubleheader against the Cubs on Monday.

Crismatt, 25, is looking for his big league debut. He could become the first Colombia native to pitch for the Cardinals in franchise history and the 11th all-time in Major League Baseball.


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