The impact of the coronavirus is now being felt in Major League Baseball. According to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, the Boston Red Sox are being cautious and keeping Taiwanese prospect Chih-Jung Liu away from the team's spring training facility in Florida due to the outbreak of the virus.
Liu is reportedly doing well, but the Red Sox medical staff has continued to monitor his health. Abraham reports that Liu flew to Fort Myers last week from Taipei (via San Francisco). Liu is currently staying in a Florida hotel where he is being delivered three meals a day and hasn't left the room much aside from an occasional run.
On Saturday, the 20-year old pitcher is expected to be at the team's facility to undergo player physicals. He's also expected to participate in some light exercises and running drills. It's unclear when Liu could return to the team in a full capacity.
In addition to Liu, Red Sox infielder Tzu-Wei Lin also hails from Taiwan and was told to return to his apartment when spring training began just to be safe.
"I had been here for a week and they said I needed to go back to my apartment," Lin told the Boston Globe. "I was fine. I stayed away for one day and that was it."
Lin has returned to the field since he was quarantined and even started at second base on Tuesday.
Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that can cause illnesses as minor as a cold, or as serious as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), according to the World Health Organization. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus can cause symptoms including fever, cough and shortness of breath. But while some patients only show mild symptoms and recover, others have developed life-threatening complications, such as pneumonia, CBS News reports.
