Testing shows low positivity rates
One major league player was positive for COVID-19 in the past week among 14,845 tests, a positivity rate of 0.007%.
There have been 13 positive tests — 10 for players, three for staff — among 58,733 monitoring tests during spring training, a rate of 0.2%, the commissioner’s office said Friday. The positive tests were among nine of the 30 teams.
Including intake testing upon arrival at spring training, there have been 29 positive tests — 23 players, 6 staff — among 64,192 tests, a positive rate of 0.05%. The positives were among 17 teams.
All players on 40-man rosters and players with minor league contracts invited to big-league training camp are screened. Also tested are all other on-field personnel such as managers, coaches and athletic trainers.
Marlins
Pitching prospect Will Stewart landed a $10-an-hour offseason hospital job in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and said the experience made him more grateful for baseball. “There were 25-, 26-, 28-year-olds getting COVID and dying,” Stewart said. “I watched people come in that couldn’t breathe or had no control over their body. It was very scary and eye-opening. The entire time I was there, I just wanted to get back on the field.”
Nationals
Reliever Will Harris has a blood clot in his right arm and is leaving spring training camp to be examined by a specialist, manager Dave Martinez said. “Until we know more about it, then I got to assume that he’s going to not start with us this season,” Martinez said.
Reds
Luis Castillo is set to start on opening day for Cincinnati against the St. Louis Cardinals, heading a rotation that lost National League Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer to free agency. “Luis is as ready as he’s ever been,” manager David Bell said.
Mets
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie joined the board of directors of New York. Christie was New Jersey’s governor from January 2010 to January 2018. His son Andrew has worked for the team since 2018.