Angels center fielder Mike Trout stands on the field wearing a face mask during a practice Friday in Anaheim, Calif. Trout said coronavirus concerns could push him to skip the 2020 season. Ashley Landis/Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Angels star outfielder Mike Trout isn’t certain he will play when the abbreviated Major League Baseball season begins at the end of July.
Mike Trout’s biggest concern is the health and safety of his family. “If I’m positive, doctors have told me I can’t see the baby for 14 days. Jess won’t see the baby for 14 days if she tests positive. We’re going to be upset.” Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press
Trout said in his first video conference of training camp Friday that he and his wife, Jessica, discuss daily the possibility of him sitting out to avoid becoming infected with the coronavirus. The couple is expecting its first child in August.
“I love playing this game. We want to play,” Trout said. “It’s going to come down to how safe we’re going to be. If there’s an outbreak, you definitely have to reconsider. There’s a lot of questions. I love baseball, but I have to do what’s right for my family. It’s going to be a tough decision if something happens down the road.”
Trout has been vocal about protecting the health of his family since the pandemic shut down sports in March. He added Friday that he fears not being able to witness his child’s birth.
“I think the biggest thing is, these next few weeks, if I test positive, it’s my first child, and I have to be there,” Trout said. “If I’m positive, doctors have told me I can’t see the baby for 14 days. Jess won’t see the baby for 14 days if she tests positive. We’re going to be upset.”
MLB has implemented numerous safeguards to protect against potential outbreaks, including strict protocols limiting the number of players who can occupy areas of a stadium at a time. But the restrictions only provided Trout a modicum of relief.
“A lot of the guys have questions,” Trout said. “We’re in a crazy situation right now in the world, and no one has the answers. I talk to my wife every night about this. I’m coming in, and I know I’m risking meeting someone and getting this virus, and that’s the last thing I want to do. (I’ve) talked to a lot of guys across the league, texting me a lot, and they’re all thinking the same thing: Is this going to work?”
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