Orioles' Santander Returns After Testing Positive For Coronavirus

BALTIMORE, MD — When Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander was a no-show for the first week of the team's summer training camp at Camden Yards, the team didn’t give a reason for his absence.

On Wednesday, Santander revealed to reporters that he has been in isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus. Santander, who reported to the team Tuesday, said on Wednesday that he had experienced “mild symptoms” including a fever he had been dealing with.

Santander revealed that he tested positive during the team's intake testing July 1 but said he has felt healthy ever since.

Santander is the first Orioles player known to have tested positive for the coronavirus. Team officials previously told reporters that the reason they were not disclosing which players — or even how many — had tested positive is because they feared the possibility of false positives, the Baltimore Sun reported.

“Now, I’m healthy; I’m not contagious,” Santander told reporters on a Zoom call Wednesday. “(I’m) happy to be back on the field with my teammates.”

When baseball was shut down in March by the pandemic, Santander told reporters that he remained in Florida rather than return to Venezuela over concerns that he might be infected by the virus. While in isolation over the past two weeks, Santander said he did what he could to stay in shape in preparation for the upcoming 60-game season.

The Orioles are scheduled to open the season July 24 in Boston against the Red Sox.

“I just got to build up little by little,” Santander told reporters on the call. “I will do everything I can to get ready, see live pitches and start playing intrasquad. Try to get ready.”

Santander hit .287 with 17 home runs in 80 games with the Orioles last season.