Juan Soto has tested positive for COVID-19

The Nationals will be without Juan Soto for tonight’s season opener against the Yankees. 

Just hours before the MLB is set to resume, the MLB has lost one of its biggest stars. Washington Nationals star outfielder Juan Soto has tested positive for COIVD-19 and will not play in tonight’s season opener against the Yankees.

This was the MLB’s biggest fear as they prepare to kick off their season. Unlike the NBA, MLB players are not in a bubble, which could lead to larger-scale outbreaks within teams and the league as a whole. Hopefully, this an outlier and not the first of many. Word is that all of the Nationals are being tested again today but that won’t help if they take the field tonight and the infection spreads.

Soto is one of the MLB’s brightest young stars, which makes this a giant loss for the MLB in a shortened season. At only 20 years old, Soto was a huge contributor to the World Series-winning Nationals last season and was looking to take another step in 2020. Unfortunately, he’ll be out of the lineup for quite a while, as he’ll need to fully recover and quarantine before returning to the field.

Juan Soto was looking to take another big step in 2020.

Since Soto made his debut 2018, he has been a dominant force in the MLB. In 116 games in 2018, he hit .292 with 22 home runs and 70 RBIs. The following season, he took another leap forward, batting .282 with 34 home runs and 110 RBIs. He capped off his incredible 2019 season with an excellent playoff run, where he batted .277 with 5 home runs and 14 RBIs on his way to a World Series win.

The Nationals are now without their two best hitters from 2019, after Anthony Rendon signed with the Angels this offseason. They’ll need a ton of help from their pitching staff and depth hitters if they want to return to the Fall Classic.