Orioles outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. paid his respects to late civil rights leaders John Lewis and C.T. Vivian to begin a video call with reporters Saturday in which he disclosed that he was one of the 80 major league players who tested positive for COVID-19.
On each of the touchstone topics of 2020 in the United States, Smith amplified popular messages. He said that wearing a mask was key to stopping the spread of COVID-19, and social justice issues, however uncomfortable, should be spoken about to keep attention on them.
Smith, who along with fellow outfielder Anthony Santander tested positive for COVID-19 at his July 1 intake test at Camden Yards ahead of the team’s summer workouts beginning, said the positive test was “kind of alarming” in that he didn’t have symptoms like loss of taste or smell or an elevated temperature.