Sources: Yankees' Aroldis Chapman cleared to return
The New York Yankees will no longer have any players on the COVID-19 injured list after closer Aroldis Chapman was cleared to return to the team, sources told ESPN on Friday.
Chapman became the Yankees' third major leaguer to test positive for COVID-19 on July 11, at the start of summer camp.
All-Star infielder DJ LeMahieu and pitcher Luis Cessa also tested positive before heading to New York to complete the intake testing protocols. Both had already been cleared by the team, and LeMahieu made his season debut Saturday.
Chapman had passed all intake testing and was allowed to report to workouts at Yankee Stadium, but he tested positive for the coronavirus during the monitoring phase.
The Yankees, who have one of the deepest relief corps in the majors, have won four of their first five games of the season without Chapman. Zack Britton closed out two of those games.
Nonetheless, the Yankees' bullpen will remain short-handed given the fact that Tommy Kahnle is not available for undisclosed reasons.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone opted to use Jonathan Loaisiga in a spot usually reserved for Kahnle during Thursday night's game in Baltimore. Boone said only that Kahnle wasn't available.
"We'll have something on that [Friday]," Boone said.
Kahnle has pitched only one inning this season, throwing 20 pitches and striking out three in a 3-2 win over the defending champion Washington Nationals on Sunday.
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