ANOTHER IDLE DAY
GM says staff member ‘potentially’ exposed to COVID-19 outside organization
Workout canceled for second time in six days because of virus.
Nowhere is the frailty of Major League Baseball’s 2020 season more apparent than Houston. The Astros again sat idle Saturday, canceling a workout for the second time in six days because of COVID-19 related concerns. Their season-opener is scheduled for July 24. Whether it can be played remains in serious doubt.
The team called off their workout at Minute Maid Park after a staff member was “potentially” exposed to COVID-19 by a “positive individual outside of the organization,” general manager James Click said in a statement Saturday. The Astros did not disclose the staff member’s identity.
The Astros canceled Monday’s workout, too, after a delay in receiving their test results. Alex Bregman’s absence from Wednesday’s practice was tied to a holdup in his results. Saturday’s news was more serious, the first public revelation of a potential exposure to the virus inside Astros camp.
“We are working closely with MLB and our team physicians to follow the established testing and cleaning protocols so that we can safely bring our players and staff back to the field as soon as possible,” Click said in the statement.
The team called Saturday’s cancelation a “precautionary measure” and Click’s statement claimed the workout was scrapped “out of an abundance of caution.”
Workouts will resume Sunday at Minute Maid Park. According to a statement released Saturday night, the club “performed all cleaning protocols as laid out by Major League Baseball and will continue to follow said protocols and steps recommended by team medical personnel.”
The league’s 2020 operations manual does list a plan and contingencies for “others in close contact with covered individuals who test positive for COVID-19.”
Individuals who are exposed are permitted to continue their duties if they test negative for COVID-19 and are completely asymptomatic. They must receive a saliva test for seven straight days following their potential exposure and undergo more frequent temperature checks and symptom monitoring for at least 10 days.
Players and on-field staff members who fall into Tier 1 status are now tested every other day for COVID-19. League rules prohibit clubs from identifying players or staff members who test positive. Players can choose to reveal their diagnosis publicly. No Astros player or staff member has revealed a positive test since summer camp started.
Yordan Alvarez, reigning American League Rookie of the Year, and pitcher Jose Urquidy are not in summer camp with what manager Dusty Baker described as a “condition that is preventing them from reporting to the field.”
Houston postponed Monday’s workout after the club’s COVID-19 test results were delayed, a plight it shared with other teams around the country. The Washington Nationals
and St. Louis Cardinals canceled their workouts on Monday because of delays in test results. The San Francisco Giants did the same on Tuesday.
Wednesday, All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman missed the Astros workout after test results tied to his participation were not received in time. Outfielder Michael Brantley called for more clarity from commissioner Rob Manfred concerning the league’s testing procedure and response time.
“Since we started this thing, I haven’t heard much from Rob or from that side,” Brantley said Wednesday. “I know that we had to iron out some kinks together, but at the same time, all the players are kind of saying the same thing: We need clarity. And once we get clarity, I think we’ll feel better about this.”