Indians’ Ramirez, Reyes defy protocol
CLEVELAND — For the third time in less than a year, the Cleveland Indians are having to isolate players because they broke COVID-19 protocols.
Third baseman Jose Ramirez and slugger Franmil Reyes are being kept away from their teammates at spring training in Arizona after they reported to the team that they went out to dinner in violation of team and Major League Baseball regulations.
Manager Terry Francona said Sunday that the two players were sent to their temporary homes as the Indians await word from the league as to when they can rejoin the team.
Francona said Reyes, who had a virus-related misstep last season, and Ramirez went out to dinner on Friday following an exhibition game in Mesa against the Chicago Cubs.
They reported to the team’s complex on Saturday and were immediately sent home. They did not have contact with any other players or team personnel.
“We’re pretty fortunate here,” Francona said on a Zoom call. “We have some medical people who are right on top of things, and they came right to me and they said: ‘Look, this is what we’re doing. We’re informing the league.’ The players themselves actually self-reported that they had made a mistake.
“So we told them: ‘This is not our rules. These are the rules that the players’ association and MLB came up with. We have to enforce them.’ ”
Pirates trade with Cubs for Underwood
The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired righthander Duane Underwood Jr. in a trade with the Chicago Cubs.
Underwood, 26, went 1-0 with a 5.66 ERA in 17 games with Chicago during the pandemicshortened season. A secondround pick in the 2012 amateur draft, Underwood is 1-1 with a 5.20 ERA in 30 career games.
The Cubs received minor league first baseman Shendrik Apostel in the deal. The 20-yearold Apostel was signed by the Pirates out of Curacao in July 2017.
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