A clean batch of tests but team still sidelined

Still scheduled to face the Braves on Monday as more results pending

The only game at Nationals Park on Saturday was an intrasquad scrimmage played by the New York Mets. Otherwise, the Nationals got one round of coronavirus test results — revealing no new positives — and were waiting for the next batch to determine their immediate future, according to a person familiar with the situation.

They are still scheduled to face the Atlanta Braves at 4:05 p.m. Monday.

But the status of that matchup remains uncertain. So does much of what’s going on with the Nationals. The team had four players test positive for the coronavirus in the past week. Six others — five players and a staff member — are in quarantine after being deemed close contacts to an infected

individual. When Washington does take the field, it will be with a handful of players from its alternate site in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

It had already called up infielder Luis García, outfielder Yadiel Hernandez, catcher Tres Barrera and reliever Sam Clay before its opening series with the Mets was postponed.

And with so many moving parts, and with no group activities since the Nationals left West Palm Beach, Florida on March 29, the club should need at least one workout ahead of its new opener. Two or more would be preferable. After Thursday’s tests had no new positives, there was a chance the Nationals could have practiced — spaced out and in small groups — on Saturday. But the team and Major League Baseball are exercising extra caution. ML B did, however, permit Washington to have one pitcher throw at a time at Nationals Park on Saturday night, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The Nationals don’t want to reconvene, or add more players from Fredericksburg, until they are confident the spread has been contained. The Friday test results, which were expected sometime Saturday, could have a major bearing on when they are cleared to play. The last point of potential exposure was March 29, and the Nationals and MLB want more distance between then and when the team returns. Any additional positive tests would further complicate the equation.

“It’s the health of players and their families, so there is a seriousness about it,” general manager Mike Rizzo said Friday when asked how the team is handling this uncertainty. “Players are trying to find ways to get their work in and still quarantine at the same time.”

From a baseball standpoint, Rizzo compared this challenge to what players dealt with last spring. Between the abrupt end of spring training in March and the beginning of summer camp in July, most workout facilities were closed because of the pandemic. Clay, then with the Minnesota Twins, threw into a net until he found a young catcher to squat for him in a park. Reliever Daniel Hudson went through the same sequence in Arizona. Hitters got creative to keep their swings intact.