After COVID-19 outbreak, Nats starting season today vs. Braves

Positive or quarantined players may include Schwarber, Harrison.

The Nationals will begin their season today by hosting the Atlanta Braves after Major League Baseball postponed Monday’s opener of the teams’ three-game series because of a coronavirus outbreak that involves 11 of Washington’s players.

“The most recent round of test results of Nationals personnel included no new positives,” MLB said in a statement sent Sunday night. “All of (Washington’s) eligible personnel will be able to participate in baseball activities at Nationals Park on Monday.”

Four Nationals players have tested positive for COVID19 over the past week and are isolating, while another seven are under quarantine because contact tracing determined they might have been exposed to the illness.

General Manager Mike Rizzo said Sunday that none of those 11 — a majority of whom, although not all, were supposed to be on the opening day roster — would be available if the three-game set with Atlanta began Monday. Rizzo has not publicly identified any of the players involved or the two staff members who also have been placed under quarantine because of possible exposure.

Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post, citing an unnamed source, said three of the players involved were Middletown’s Kyle Schwarber, Cincinnati native Josh Harrison and starting pitcher Jon Lester.

Washington has yet to play this season; its opening threegame series at home against the New York Mets on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday was postponed.

“Believe me, we’re in constant contact with MLB,” Rizzo said in a video call with reporters Sunday afternoon, while he was still awaiting a decision about Monday’s game.

Rizzo has been adamant that Washington would need to be able to hold team workouts before facing an opponent. Pitchers were able go to Nationals Park one by one on Saturday and Sunday to throw bullpen sessions.

“Position players haven’t worked out in a week. And pitchers haven’t thrown any competitive pitch in that same period of time. It’s something that we’re taking very seriously here. We’re thinking of creative ways under the protocol and under the guidance to get these guys as ready as possible,” Rizzo said.

“It makes a lot of sense for baseball, player protection-wise, to have these guys go through their paces in a full workout before we take the field,” he added.

The reigning NL East champion Braves are 0-3, coming off a season-opening sweep in which they managed to score a total of three runs at the Philadelphia Phillies.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said in the afternoon — before MLB’s ruling arrived — that he was going to assume his club would be playing Monday until he heard otherwise.

“This is the COVID era. Everything’s fluid,” Snitker said.

The Nationals and Braves are now slated to face each other today and play a doubleheader Wednesday to make up Monday’s game. The 2019 World Series champions, who tied for last in the division last season, then would have Thursday off before heading out for a road trip that is to begin Friday at the Los Angeles Dodgers.