Atlanta first for Mets
Depleted squad visits Citi Field for July 24 tilt
The Mets hope to open the short season in Queens on July 24 with a three-game series against the Braves, health-permitting.
Four Braves were shut down on Saturday while they recover from the coronavirus, including star first baseman Freddie Freeman, who tested negative during his intake. Freeman’s wife, Chelsea, wrote on Instagram that her husband had “body aches, headaches, chills and a high fever.” Will Smith, Touki Toussaint, and Pete Kozma also tested positive for COVID-19.
The star first baseman’s experience with the deadly virus compelled teammate Nick Markakis to opt out of the 2020 season.
“Just hearing him, the way he sounded on the phone, it was tough,” Markakis said Monday. The veteran outfielder was the second Brave to put baseball on hold — Felix Hernandez announced his decision shortly after the news about their teammates catching COVID-19. “It was kind of eye-opening. With everything that’s going on, not just with baseball but all over the world, it makes you open your eyes.”
This year, each team will only play against opponents in the East region to limit travel during the pandemic, meaning the Mets won’t make any West Coast trips or battle central contenders like the Cardinals, Cubs or Brewers. They will, however, play against their AL East counterparts, including six games against the Yankees split between Citi Field and Yankee Stadium, and a three game trip to Canada to face the Blue Jays.
NO PROBLEMS WITH MET TESTS
Major League Baseball is struggling to administer its coronavirus safety protocols, and the impact is felt around the league. But, at least at Citi Field, everyone says cover prevention has been good thus far.
“We’ve been very fortunate to get the tests back on time and to have this thing running as smoothly as it is,” said Brandon Nimmo. “Everything’s gone well with us. Hopefully, it’ll smooth out throughout the league.”
“All I can speak for is, at this facility, they are leaving no stone unturned. We have people watching our spacing all the time, whether we’ve got masks on, sanitizing everything.”
Manager Luis Rojas wouldn’t go so as far as Nimmo to confirm that everyone was getting their tests on time, citing the need to maintain the privacy of his team’s health situation. Rojas suggested that sharing a lapse in testing could out any individuals that weren’t at camp as being potentially infected by the coronavirus.