Yankees’ J.A. Happ diagnosed with strange virus (hint: Mets fans have heard of it)

The recently acquired left-hander was sent home by the Yankees because he contracted an illness.

NEW YORK — OK, Mets fans, your turn to mock.

Starting left-hander J.A. Happ, one of the Yankees’ prize trade-deadline acquisitions, was sent home Tuesday after contracting hand, foot and mouth disease, a virus.

Happ could miss Saturday’s scheduled start against the first-place Red Sox at Fenway Park. The Yankees, six games behind the Red Sox in the A.L. East, open a four-game series in Boston on Thursday.

J.A. Happ was sent home Tuesday due to contracting hand, foot and mouth disease. That could result in the lefty starter not being able to face the Red Sox on Saturdayat Fenway Park

— George A. King III (@GeorgeAKingIII) July 31, 2018

“Yeah, how about that?” general manager Brian Cashman said before Wednesday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. “Happ had some complaints about blistering on his hand. We thought immediately maybe it was that.”

Happ was sent to a local hospital and diagnosed with “a mild case,” Cashman said.

He added: “We’re getting a little bit more educated on that and what we need to do here (to prevent the spread). He’s still scheduled to start (Saturday). That’s not in jeopardy yet.”

Cashman said the Yankees will be able to tell Wednesday if the virus “is ramping up or calming down,” and will have a better picture regarding Saturday’s starter.

Yankees fans (and baseball fans at large) chuckled when hand, foot and mouth disease recently sidelined Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard.

The Mets believe Syndergaard contracted the disease while working with kids during the All-Star break. The virus usually strikes kids because their immune systems are weaker.

The revelation about Happ came minutes after the Red Sox had announced that starter Chris Sale had been placed on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation.

Here’s more on hand, foot and mouth disease, via WebMD:

How you get it

The viruses that usually cause hand-foot-and-mouth are named coxsackievirus a16 and enterovirus 71. In fact, you might hear your child’s doctor refer to it as the coxsackie virus.

Your child can catch hand-foot-and-mouth through contact with someone who has it, or from something that’s been in contact with the virus, like a toy, tabletop, or doorknob. It tends to spread easily in the summer and fall.

What are the symptoms?

Your child is most contagious in the first 7 days. But the virus can stay in her body for days or weeks after symptoms go away and it could spread through her spit or poop.

The best way to prevent that is to wash hands thoroughly. That applies to you, too, after you change a diaper or wipe a runny nose.

Your child should be fever- and symptom-free before she goes back to school or daycare. Check with your doctor if you aren’t sure whether she’s still contagious. Ask her school or daycare about their policy on when a child can return after illness.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.