Didi Gregorius Will Wear Mask While Playing This Season

Let’s get it back to the Phillies, who are playing intrasquad scrimmages as we get closer to baseball’s return.

One of this year’s newcomers, veteran Didi Gregorius, says he’ll wear a mask in the field this season because of a pre-existing condition that puts him at risk:

Didi Gregorius said he was classified as a "high-risk player" because of a chronic kidney disease. He talked it over with doctors here and said he feels comfortable with the situation. He'll wear a mask at all times while on the field.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) July 15, 2020

Here’s a little bit more from Jim Salisbury at NBC Sports Philadelphia:

“I am definitely wearing it in games because I think it adds safety for everybody, for me and people around me,” Gregorius said before an intrasquad game at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday. “So I think wearing it will be normal for me. I’m playing in it right now so I can get accustomed to it.”

With the help of Phillies athletic trainers, Gregorius found a mask that he really likes. It’s comfortable and it filters air.

Salisbury writes that Gregorius learned of his kidney disorder in 2011, when he was still a minor leaguer with the Reds.

Can’t imagine the mask is comfortable, but if Didi found something that works for him, and he feels safe on the field, then that’s all you can really ask for.