On the verge of signing with the Atlanta Braves, outfielder Yasiel Puig tested positive for COVID-19 and remains a free agent.
Puig, 29, shared the news in an Instagram post on Friday.
“Although I tested positive, I am asymptomatic, and I feel absolutely fine. I will be quarantined until I receive two negative tests results, which I hope will arrive shortly,” he wrote.
Puig had reportedly agreed to a deal with the Braves, who were looking to replace Nick Markakis after he opted out of the upcoming season.
“I am sad that this has happened, but I believe that everything is in God’s timing and that my return to MLB will happen in His perfect plan and timing for me,” Puig wrote. “When I return to the field, I will do so knowing that I will have one less hurdle to overcome.”
MLB Network’s Jon Heyman said the Braves could revisit signing Puig after he clears the testing protocol.
Puig, 29, batted .252 with 22 homers and 61 RBIs in 100 games with the Cincinnati Reds last season before being sent to the Cleveland Indians as part of a three-team trade on July 31. He hit .297 with two homers and 23 RBIs in 49 games with the Indians.
Puig starred on the Cuban national team before being transported out of the country in 2010. He initially ventured to Mexico and negotiated a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in June 2012.
He is a career .277 hitter with 132 homers and 415 RBIs in seven seasons with the Dodgers, Reds and Indians. He was an All-Star in 2014.
Puig urged his Instagram followers to take the pandemic seriously by wearing masks, practicing social distancing and following local health protocols.
(Field Level Media)
