Former Angels standout Jim Edmonds hospitalized and undergoing COVID-19 tests

Retired Angels and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jim Edmonds used his Instagram account Saturday to reveal he was being tested for the new coronavirus.

“Held off as long as I could,” he captioned an image of himself wearing a surgical mask in a hospital bed. “I thought I was tough enough to get through. This virus is no joke.”

In another social media post, Edmonds said he wanted to “find out if I have been infected or just super sick. Not taking any chances because it is so hard to get tested by the rules of the CDC.”

Edmonds, now a broadcaster for the Cardinals, called some spring training games but mostly kept to himself at Cardinals camp, said a person with knowledge of the situation who was unauthorized to publicly comment.

Entering Saturday, there were three known MLB-affiliated cases of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — two in the New York Yankees minor league system and one in the Boston Red Sox organization. No one in the Angels or Dodgers organizations had displayed symptoms related to the virus as of Thursday.

The threat of more cases has loomed over Major League Baseball for weeks. As the global pandemic has worsened, numerous athletes in the NBA and other sports leagues around the world have tested positive for the new coronavirus since Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert was diagnosed March 11.

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Before going on to win six consecutive Gold Gloves in his eight-season tenure with the Cardinals, Edmonds, 49, began his career in Anaheim. The Southern California native was drafted out of Diamond Bar High in 1988, made his debut in 1993 and played seven seasons for the Angels. He won back to back Gold Gloves from 1997 to 1998 and was voted an All-Star in 1995.

The end of Edmonds’ career in Anaheim came as a something of a shock. Not long after then-general manager Bill Stoneman declared that he was not shopping Edmonds on the trading block, Edmonds was shipped to St. Louis for All-Star pitcher Kent Bottenfield and second baseman Adam Kennedy a few weeks before the beginning of the 2000 season. He retired in 2010.