New York Mets director of player relations Donovan Mitchell Sr.’s coronavirus test comes back negative after some speculation.
This past week, we witnessed the NBA suspend their 2019-20 season due to the coronavirus outbreak. It essentially began with Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert testing positive for the disease, which led to teammate Donovan Mitchell additionally contracting it.
The All-Star guard testing positive could’ve actually affected the New York Mets. Mitchell’s father, Donovan Sr., works as a director of player relations for the ballclub.
But after some speculation, Mitchell Sr.’s test has fortunately come back negative, according to general manager Brodie Van Wagenen.
“From a testing standpoint with Donovan, we all were very pleased and happy for Donovan and his family that his test came back negative, and I know there was a sigh of relief to a degree from our players and staff here, but again, we’ll continue to monitor and work with our health and performance and medical professionals as well as state and local authorities to make sure all of our people on site are as safe as possible,” Van Wagenen said, per Alex Smith of SNY.
Van Wagenen also notes that no one else within the organization has been tested.
Major League Baseball decided to cancel spring training and delay Opening Day by at least two weeks on Thursday. The start of the regular season was set to take place on March 26, which would make the new start date April 9.
The new Opening Day plans may be unrealistic though, as this outbreak could continue to cause concern for months. Expect the new baseball season to begin in May, or possibly even later.
