Yasiel Puig Tests Positive for Coronavirus Before Starting Workouts With Braves

With just a week to go until the scheduled start of the 2020 MLB season, you'd be hard-pressed to find a team hit harder by COVID-19 than the Atlanta Braves.

On the day when Freddie Freeman was cleared to resume team activities following his coronavirus diagnosis, newly signed outfielder Yasiel Puig announced he has tested positive and will be quarantined until he has two negative tests. Puig did say, however, that he has no symptoms and feels fine, unlike Freeman.

With a healthy Freeman and Puig, Atlanta's lineup looks pretty formidable. The Braves still have enough outfielders to start the season without Puig, but he would be a really nice addition to a team competing for a championship.

It took Freeman two weeks to get back to camp from the announcement of his diagnosis, so hopefully an asymptomatic Puig can come back more quickly than that. Although it would still be difficult for Puig to jump right into the lineup, as he has not even been in camp with the Braves yet.

While he was partially signed as an insurance policy against Freeman's health, Atlanta would still love to have Puig in the lineup as often as possible. Hopefully he's back soon and we can see what a Braves lineup with the likes of Freeman, Puig, Ronald Acuña and Ozzie Albies could look like.