Neris and Haseley return; Kingery, Hunter getting close
PHILADELPHIA » The Phillies continued to emerge from an early wave of coronavirus issues Tuesday when Hector Neris and Adam Haseley returned to training camp at Citizens Bank Park.
Also, according to general manager Matt Klentak, both Scott Kingery and Tommy Hunter are feeling better after positive COVID-19 tests. They are waiting to pass two tests apiece before returning, according to the rules.
“Both of them are feeling 100 percent and are ready to go,” Klentak said. “They’re just going through re-testing and will be back as soon as they are able.”
Haseley neither tested positive nor came in contact with anyone who had, and his delayed camp arrival was due to a testing glitch.
“Adam’s absence was because of a lab error,” Klentak said. “That’s probably the best way I could put it. He took his test as part of the intake screening process last week. The test was sent in with the rest of the tests and we never received the result of that. And that’s what happened. We’re not pointing any fingers. But that’s why his arrival to camp was delayed.
“So there’s really no issues whatsoever with Adam. He’s done everything right. He’s never been sick. And we are happy to have him back in camp.”
Neris saved 28 games last season and is expected to be Joe Girardi’s preferred closer.
“He’s going to throw a bullpen tomorrow so I think I will have a much better feeling of where he is at,” Girardi said. “Maybe because he missed a little time, because he wasn’t able to start when we started, I may not be able to use him quite as often. But you’ve really got to go through the next two and a half weeks to see where he’s at.”
In 66 games as a rookie, Haseley hit .266 with five home runs and will be in line for to be the regular centerfielder. He will battle Roman Quinn for time.
“Roman and I have always pushed each other,” he said. “I came up last year and he was a great teammate and a great person. It’s not like we are competing with each other out there. It’s not personal. We are pushing each other to do what we can to make our team better.”
Klentak stopped short Tuesday of proclaiming that either Neris or Haseley would be ready for Opening Day, July 24 against the visiting Marlins.
“I think the best way I can answer that is that both of those guys are feeling very good right now, which is obviously the most important thing,” he said. “They still have to pass consecutive tests and follow the rest of the protocols before they return, but I think the fact that they’re both feeling good bodes well for their timeframes. Beyond that, I really couldn’t speculate about any return date just because we know that the time it takes to return can vary depending on the details of the protocols.”
Since the protocols are vital for baseball’s return, there is some concern about the testing errors.
“I hope they won’t continue,” Klentak said. “My hope is that when an issue presents itself early in spring training like this that it gives all parties the time to make the necessary adjustments and limit the instances of something like this occurring in the future. I think we need to be realistic as well. I don’t know the numbers. But there are huge volumes of tests taking place daily. I’m not trying to make excuses for the process, but when you have the volume of tests like this, I think it’s reasonable to expect that it’s not going to go perfectly, especially at the beginning.”
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As Kingery recovers, Jean Segura has been playing third base. Girardi expects it to remain that way, with Kingery eventually taking over at second.
“I would say that’s what we’re doing,” Girardi said. “Jean has played so much second base, we feel if we have to make the adjustment, it’s not going to take really any time. So the best thing we can do is get him as many reps at third base as possible.”
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The Phillies have scheduled three exhibition games in advance of their season opener. They will play in Washington July
18, at home against Baltimore July 19 and in Yankee Stadium July 20.
All will start at 6:05 p.m.
Girardi is planning a two-and-a-half-inning intra-squad game Wednesday, a fiveinning game Thursday and a longer game Friday.
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Bench coach Rob Thomson, bullpen coach Jim Gott and catching coach Greg Brodzinski were among those to have had positive tests during the virus outbreak in Clearwater two weeks ago. They have not been in camp.
“Both (Thomson and Gott) are itching to get back,” Klentak said. “They have been feeling good for several weeks now. So I don’t anticipate that either of them would opt-out. But I want to make clear that if anybody in the organization felt unsafe or felt uncomfortable and felt like they wanted to opt-out that the organization would support that.”
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Outfielder Mikie Mahtook tested positive, according to Klentak, and has been sequestered. But the 30-year-old with 291 games of experience with Tampa Bay and Detroit is nearing a return.
“He, like the others, is feeling good and is itching to get back,” Klentak said. “But he understands he needs to follow the protocols and pass all the tests before he’s cleared to return.”
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Veteran left-hander Francisco Liriano,
35, has been absent from camp, but not because of a failed virus test.
“He is really evaluating the situation and whether he wants to play or not,” Klentak said. “I don’t know exactly where that’s going to go, but he’s not been in camp the last few days and I’m not sure if he will return, and if so, when. But right now, he’s evaluating the situation before determining next steps.”
Liriano appeared in 69 games in relief for the Pirates last season, and began his big-league career with Minnesota in 2005.