After making it to the World Series last year, the Kansas City Royals have cruised to a 80-51 record — the best mark in the American League and second only to the St. Louis Cardinals (86-46) in Major League Baseball.
But the Royals' chances of getting back to the World Series could possibly be in jeopardy, thanks to a surprising outbreak of chickenpox within their clubhouse. On Tuesday, September 1, the Kansas City Star reported that outfielder Alex Rios and All-Star relief pitcher Kelvin Herrera have both been infected with the virus and could each miss at least two weeks of action.
Rios and Herrera have each been quarantined. The Royals believe the infections are limited to those two players, but of course, the fear is that the virus could run like a river through the rest of the team. It could take up to three weeks before the team can determine which other players might have been infected.
Royals trainer Nick Kenney told the Star that the team is making sure the rest of their players and staffers are inoculated against the virus.
"We're on alert," Kenney said. "We've got our guys knowing that they've got to pay attention to what they're seeing. And if you do see anything, we need to see it and we need to inspect it."
According to the Star, the players who are most at-risk are those from Latin American countries, where childhood inoculation rates are lower. Chickenpox in adults tends to be more severe than in children.
The Royals aren't over the shock of two of their players being diagnosed with the virus, either.
"My initial reaction was 'It's 2015,'" the team's general manager Dayton Moore said. "I was surprised that we'd be having the chickenpox. I'm sure it's more common than I'm aware of as far as adults getting chickenpox. But it was more frustration than anything else."
He added: "Every day that passes by, you feel a little more secure that we're going to be OK."
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