Red Sox’s Kiké Hernández Details Experience With COVID-19 Despite Vaccination

Kiké Hernández on Tuesday returned to the Boston Red Sox’s lineup after a lengthy stint on the COVID-19 related injury list.

The utility player was the first of the team’s documented positive tests on Aug. 26, which later proved to be an outbreak that saw as many as 11 players on the COVID-19 list at once — either via test result or close contact.

Hernández detailed his experience with the virus ahead of his return, expressing how happy he was to be vaccinated before dealing with symptoms, which included body aches and chest congestion.

“It was long,” Hernández told reporters via Zoom. “It was long. It felt a lot longer than 10 days. The first day and a half was pretty miserable and then after that the symptoms kind of drifted away. I guess I’m glad that I was vaccinated because this thing got me pretty good for a day and a half. I’ve heard from some other people not just in baseball but throughout this whole thing that have felt symptoms for way more than a day and a half. I guess I got lucky on that side.”

The Red Sox certainly missed Hernández and his versatility, and the leadoff hitter is a huge piece for Boston to get back as the team awaits the clearance of others.

He missed them, too. The 30-year-old explained how he dressed in full uniform every day to FaceTime with his teammates and watch Red Sox games.