The Kansas City Royals have been hit with a chickenpox outbreak that struck All-Star reliever Kelvin Herrera along with right fielder Alex Rios. As noted by a Yahoo Sports report, the team is now scrambling to ensure other players don't get infected as well, with the sidelined players expected to be affected for two weeks.

The loss of two key players for a couple of weeks is not expected to sour the Royals' impressive season, as they currently sit on a 13-game lead in the American League Central, which, as pointed out by Yahoo Sports, is twice as large as any in baseball.

According to the Kansas City Star, the team has asked its players to contact family members to inquire about their immunization status and whether they contracted the disease as a child.

According to the Yahoo Sports report, there is no standard vaccination protocol across baseball. A general manager said his team doctor has made it standard practice to vaccinate young Latin American players during spring training.

Last season, a mumps outbreak was witnessed in the National Hockey League, which emphasized how a disease could quickly spread within a sport. The NHL has since encouraged more sanitary use of water bottles and towels, while also encouraging players to provide teams with their vaccination records, a source told Yahoo Sports.

As pointed out by Yahoo Sports, vaccination in Latin American countries is irregular. Rios grew up in Puerto Rico, while Herrera was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. Both players were not vaccinated.

As noted by the report, the severity of chickenpox is higher in adults, with possible complications including pneumonia, among others. The Royals have quarantined Rios and Herrera.

Rios signed a one-year, $11 million deal the past offseason. The 34-year-odl has struggled all season, hitting just .253/.288/.333.