Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Coach Phil Nevin Tests Positive For COVID-19

New York Yankees third base coach Phil Nevin tested positive for the coronavirus. The Yankees still expect to play against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night

Max Goodman

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Despite being fully vaccinated, Yankees third base coach Phil Nevin has tested positive for COVID-19, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement, the Yankees called Nevin's case as a "breakthrough positive." Set to begin a three-game series in Tampa Bay on Tuesday night, Nevin is currently under quarantine protocol while New York conducts additional testing and contact tracing.

"Playing through a pandemic, and going back to last year, I guess nothing kind of surprises you. But still, it does catch you off guard a little bit, even when you do get that news," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. 

A small portion of the population that has been vaccinated will still get COVID-19. Those "vaccine breakthrough cases" occur because "no vaccine prevents illness 100 percent of the time," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Shortly after confirming that Nevin was the coach that had tested positive, Boone said he expects New York's game against the Rays still to take place. The manager said the status of a few other coaches and staff members are "pending," but Nevin is the only individual to test positive to this point.

Bench coach Carlos Mendoza will fill in for Nevin as the third base coach going forward, Boone said. Additionally, Mario Garza will coach first base rather than Reggie Willits. 

The Yankees eclipsed the 85 percent threshold of vaccinated personnel weeks ago, reportedly receiving the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That gave players and coaches an opportunity to take off their masks in the dugout and at team facilities. Boone said he will wear a mask on Tuesday night and Yankees ace Gerrit Cole wore a mask for the duration of his Zoom call with reporters before the game.

It's the first time New York has been directly impacted by the virus since before last year's shortened campaign when several players—including Aroldis Chapman and DJ LeMahieu—tested positive.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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