Two more KC Royals players test positive for COVID-19, land on MLB injured list
Minor-league catcher Nick Dini and left-handed pitcher Daniel Tillo have each been placed in the injured list after having tested positive for COVID-19, the Royals announced Friday.
Dini and Tillo were part of the 60-player pool taking part in spring training 2.0 at Kauffman Stadium. Neither Dini nor Tillo are on the club’s 40-man roster. Each is asymptomatic, according to the club.
Dini, a 14th-round draft pick in 2015 who made his MLB debut last season, has played in 20 games in the majors.
Tillo, a third-round draft pick in 2017, pitched at High-A Wilmington and Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2019. Baseball America ranked him as the 21st-best prospect in the Royals’ farm system this winter.
MLB.com reported earlier in the day that Tillo had an MRI this week that revealed UCL damage.
The Royals have now announced six positive tests since the resumption of spring training in Kansas City earlier this month. Previously, catcher Salvador Perez, pitcher Brad Keller, first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and catcher Cam Gallagher were placed on the IL due to positive tests.
Perez, a six-time All-Star, returned to camp Tuesday. He remained asymptomatic throughout his period in isolation.
Players must give permission to the organization in order for the club to announce that they’ve tested positive for the coronavirus.
