All-Star outfielder Charlie Blackmon, the first major league player known to have checked positive for the coronavirus, returned to the Colorado Rockies for his first exercise Monday after obtaining the green light to rejoin his colleagues.
” I really feel terrific. I have actually really felt in this way for at the very least a number of weeks now,” Blackmon stated on a video clip conference call with press reporters prior to taking batting and fielding technique at Coors Field.
” It’s wonderful to be back,” he included. “I was obtaining type of bored resting there in the basement in quarantine by myself.”
Blackmon said he was just gently impacted by the virus that has killed more than 130,000 Americans and claimed more than a half-million lives worldwide.
” I had a day and also a fifty percent of signs and after that I started feeling better,” Blackmon stated, adding he wants to be ready for the Rockies’ July 24 opener at Texas.
He said his illness had not been even as negative as the flu.
” I was blindsided” by the favorable test result, Blackmon described, adding that he had actually taken all the common preventative measures with his family: shielding in the house, social distancing and also wearing a mask when out in public.
He stated he has no idea just how he contracted the infection yet was lucky not to get as sick as a lot of others.
” My signs and symptoms were what I would certainly take into consideration mild influenza signs,” Blackmon claimed. “I had a frustration, I had a little bit of a coughing and after that I had some body pains. I simply felt ill. But it only lasted for regarding 36 hours as well as I would certainly consider it moderate compared to the flu. I had the flu appropriate a couple of years ago and also I believed that point was going to wipe me out.
” And I’m fortunate that my COVID experience was not almost as extreme” as many others who have been infected, Blackmon stated. “And I know that it does influence everybody a little in different ways. I would certainly think about the signs that I felt to be minor.”
Blackmon said he’s just attempting currently to restore his physical fitness and added that he doesn’t predict any type of lasting results from the illness.
” This is a minor, small glitch, a small rate bump,” he stated. “It is not something that’s going to throw me off. It’s not something that I was frightened of or that I’ll be terrified of for any one of these people in this storage locker room.
” I do assume we’ll be as safe as we can as well as attempt not to obtain it, but truthfully, we experienced a great deal of problem and did a lot of altering of our life and our country for something that had not been that negative– in my experience,” Blackmon said. “That does not suggest that it will not be extra major for other people and that it hasn’t been even more severe for other people.”
When the season is established to start in 2 weeks, Manager Bud Black claimed he hopes to have Blackmon readily available. If he isn’t all set to play outfield, he might work as Colorado’s marked player to begin.
” It’s going to be close, however I’m optimistic, recognizing Charlie,” Black said. “We’re mosting likely to watch him every day to see exactly how he’s doing.”