Category: MLB

Mike Trout on 2020 season: ‘Honestly, I still don’t feel comfortable’ — HardballTalk | NBC Sports

Angels outfielder Mike Trout expresses concern regarding the 2020 MLB season.

Mike Trout on 2020 season: ‘Honestly, I still don’t feel comfortable’ — HardballTalk | NBC Sports

By Bill BaerJul 3, 2020, 12:41 PM EDT3 Comments

Angels outfielder Mike Trout spoke to the media via Zoom today, the first day of training camp for many teams around the league ahead of the 2020 regular season. The players will have about three weeks to ramp up. The season is expected to begin on July 23.

Per The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, Trout said, “Honestly, I still don’t feel comfortable.” Trout is, of course, talking about playing baseball in the middle of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Trout is not 100% committed to playing the 2020 season, as he has a pregnant wife due in August. He expressed concern with the fact that he would have to wait 14 days to see the baby if he tests positive.

Trout said, “We’re risking our families, risking our lives to go out here and play for everyone … I want to play It’s just a tough situation. I’ve just got to play it by ear.” He added, “I love playing this game. It’s going to come down to how safe we’re going to be.”

Trout also expressed concern with MLB’s health and safety protocols as well as the commitment of his peers to those protocols. Trout said, “I don’t get why you can leave your hotel room on the road … I didn’t understand that.” The three-time MVP said, “One guy could mess this up … Everybody’s got to take responsibility, got to take care of each other.”

Trout is certainly not the only player with a pregnant partner, with young children, with other at-risk family members. There is a lot these players have to consider in agreeing to participate in the 2020 season. That’s why every player who chooses to sit out should receive total support from their teams, from the media, and from fans. If Trout were to sit out the season, it would be a huge hit to the meaningfulness of the 2020 season.

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Ron Roenicke Reveals Red Sox Players Have Tested Positive For COVID-19 — NESN.com

The Red Sox did not enter MLB Summer Camp with a clean bill of health. Boston manager Ron Roenicke on Friday announced multi players recently tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Roenicke revealed neither who tested positive nor how many players tested positive, citing HIPAA laws and Major League Baseball rules, respectively.…

Ron Roenicke Reveals Red Sox Players Have Tested Positive For COVID-19 — NESN.com

The Red Sox did not enter MLB Summer Camp with a clean bill of health. Boston manager Ron Roenicke on Friday announced that some players recently tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Roenicke revealed neither who tested positive nor how many players tested positive, citing HIPAA laws and Major League Baseball rules, respectively. However, Roenicke did disclose that left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez did not report to camp Friday after recently being around someone who was sick. Rodriguez’s COVID-19 test results had not come in as of early Friday afternoon.

Here’s everything you need to know, via The Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato and MLB.com’s Ian Browne:

Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke: We do have some positive tests. — Jason Mastrodonato (@JMastrodonato) July 3, 2020 Ron Roenicke said he can’t mention how many positive tests there were, per MLB rules. — Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) July 3, 2020 (ERod told Roenicke it was OK to mention his name, which is why he did. Roenicke was suggesting generally he doesn’t want to mention names.)

Read more at: https://nesn.com/2020/07/ron-roenicke-reveals-red-sox-players-have-tested-positive-for-covid-19/

MLB will be lucky to finish season amid virus surge: Manfred — Nusfeed.com

FILE PHOTO: Rob Manfred, commissioner of Major League Baseball, takes part in the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit in New York, U.S., February 8, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson July 2, 2020 While attempting to clarify comments he made a day earlier that caused a bit of a stir, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Thursday admitted the  league will “be lucky” to play a full 60-game abbreviated season.

MLB will be lucky to finish season amid virus surge: Manfred — Nusfeed.com

During an interview on the “Dan Patrick Show” on Wednesday, Manfred said, “The reality is, we weren’t going to play more than 60 games no matter how the negotiations with the players went or any other factor.”

Many saw that comment as potentially something the MLB Players Association could use against MLB should the union file a grievance alleging owners did not negotiate in good faith.

Speaking with USA Today on Thursday, however, Manfred tried to qualify those comments.

“If we had started an 82-game season (beginning July 1), we would have had people in Arizona and Florida the time the second spike hit,” Manfred told the outlet.

“My point was that no matter what happened with the union, the way things unfolded with the second spike, we would have ended up with only time for 60 games, anyway,” Manfred added. “As time went on, it became clearer and clearer that the course of the virus was going to dictate how many games we could play.”

“We just weren’t going to be able to play more than 60 games at that point with everything being shut down,” Manfred continued, before admitting that even now, “the reality is that we’re going to be lucky if we get 60 games now given the course of the virus.”

Opening Day was scheduled for March 26 before the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports.

The league has yet to confirm the official 2020 schedule of 60 games, but Opening Day is expected to be July 23 or July 24.

Players proposed a longer season, but Manfred said owners were never going to sign off on more than 60 games for health reasons.

(Field Level Media)

Blue Jays are in flight north after getting federal government approval for Rogers Centre training camp — Toronto Sun

Baseball is back in Toronto – the training camp version, anyway. The Blue Jays finally received federal government clearance to fly north this weekend where they will use the Rogers Centre to prepare or the 2020 Major League Baseball season. Players and staff were completing intake screening in Dunedin, Fla. on Thursday and are scheduled […]

Blue Jays are in flight north after getting federal government approval for Rogers Centre training camp — Toronto Sun

Baseball is back in Toronto – the training camp version, anyway.

The Blue Jays finally received federal government clearance to fly north this weekend where they will use the Rogers Centre to prepare or the 2020 Major League Baseball season.

Players and staff were completing intake screening in Dunedin, Fla. on Thursday and are scheduled to board a pair of charter flights to Toronto over the next couple of days. The Jays, who have had at least four players test positive for COVID-19, have stressed that those players won’t travel until testing negative.

The Jays have yet to receive clearance to play their 30 home games at the downtown Toronto stadium, but club officials are confident they can finalize a safe plan to gain approval from government and health authorities, both provincially and federallly.

As reported by the Toronto Sun earlier this week, the Jays had backing from provincial and municipal authorities and were awaiting the final clearance from Ottawa.

That came on Thursday which set the wheels in motion to get camp underway.

As many as 60 players are expected to be at the Rogers Centre for initial workouts this weekend. Players will be housed and quarantined in the Marriott Hotel which is attached to the Rogers Centre.

“The plan for hosting summer training camp in Toronto required government and public health approval at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels,” the Jays said in a statement. “At its core, the plan necessitates players and club personnel to enter a closed environment at Rogers Centre, which is isolated from the general public.

“In collaboration with public health agencies, the Blue Jays have established comprehensive protocols to ensure the highest standards of health and safety are met prior to and during travel, and to create a cohort quarantine environment at Rogers Centre and the adjoining hotel.

“These protocols will be in place in addition to those outlined in the 2020 MLB Operations Manual.”

The Jays emphasized that the Rogers Centre remains as the preferred destination for home games and now they have three weeks to cement that permission. TD Ballpark in Dunedin, the team’s spring training home, remains the backup plan.

Tyson Ross opts out of 2020 season — HardballTalk | NBC Sports

On Thursday, free agent pitcher Tyson Ross became the fifth player to opt out of the 2020 season during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Tyson Ross opts out of 2020 season — HardballTalk | NBC Sports

On Monday, Nationals pitcher Joe Ross became one of four players to opt out of the 2020 season due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, Joe’s brother Tyson Ross opted out of the 2020 season as well, per Jon Heyman.

Ross, 33, is currently a free agent. He racked up 35 1/3 disappointing innings for the Tigers last year, posting a 6.11 ERA with 25 strikeouts and 18 walks.

Mike Leake, Ryan Zimmerman, and Ian Desmond are the three other players to have opted out of the 2020 season thus far. None of these players are considered “high risk,” so they are forgoing their salaries and service time.

A Pirates scout got COVID-19 in Venezuela — HardballTalk | NBC Sports

Per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Pirates scout Jessie Nava got COVID-19 while in Venezuela and is raising money on GoFundMe for treatment.

A Pirates scout got COVID-19 in Venezuela — HardballTalk | NBC Sports

Per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Pirates scout Jessie Nava came down with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Venezuela. He is currently hospitalized and there is a GoFundMe to raise money for his treatment with a $5,000 goal. As of this writing, the goal is a little over halfway towards being met, at $2,710.

We’re going to be seeing more and more of this as the months go on and the MLB season progresses. Inevitably, people working within baseball, however tangentially, will be afflicted by the virus. For many of them, they will also need GoFundMe or similar drives — or the benevolence of their employers — to pay for medical treatment.

Hopefully, in Nava’s case, the Pirates get involved directly and help cover his medical costs. Pirates owner Bob Nutting (pictured) and his family have a net worth of $1.1 billion, per CNBC. According to Forbes, the Pirates are valued at $1.26 billion. (Update: The Pirates have made a “sizable” contribution towards Nava’s medical expenses, per Rosenthal.)

Nava, 32, pitched in the Mariners’ minor league system from 2006-11, making it as high up as Single-A Clinton in ’11.

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Two Cincinnati Reds players test positive for COVID-19 — Redleg Nation

With players arriving in Cincinnati on Tuesday to prepare for workouts to get ready for the upcoming season, Reds players and staff underwent testing for COVID-19 as a part of the health and safety plan. Some players underwent testing before arriving. Two of those players have had their tests come back positive. Bobby Nightengale of…

Two Cincinnati Reds players test positive for COVID-19 — Redleg Nation

With players arriving in Cincinnati on Tuesday to prepare for workouts to get ready for the upcoming season, Reds players and staff underwent testing for COVID-19 as a part of the health and safety plan. Some players underwent testing before arriving. Two of those players have had their tests come back positive. Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer had the quickest fingers this morning, beating the other beat writers to the report by a matter of seconds, reporting the news that neither of the two players live in, or were in Cincinnati.

#Reds had 2 players in the organization test positive for COVID-19. They were tested outside of Cincinnati and are not in Cincinnati now.

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) July 2, 2020

Major League Baseball and the 30 teams are not allowed to report who the players are that test positive for COVID-19 as it’s considered a “non-baseball” injury, which makes it different from a team announcing that a player has a sprained ankle or some other physical injury suffered while playing. Essentially, the media and fans will have to play “guess who it is” unless the player chooses to announce it themselves. We know that it wasn’t Tucker Barnhart, who announced on twitter yesterday that he tested negative. And if you really want to, you can browse the social media of other players and see that some of them are in Cincinnati and eliminate them as possibilities, too.

Players have the choice to opt out of the 2020 season if they would like to. They don’t get paid, nor do they get the service time – but they can choose to sit out if they do not feel comfortable playing for any given (or ungiven) reason. So far the number of players to opt out is small, but includes former Reds pitcher Mike Leake. Manager David Bell told the media on Wednesday morning, as first reported by C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, that no Cincinnati players had opted out as of now.

#Reds David Bell says as of now, nobody has opted out

— C. ???????????? (@ctrent) July 2, 2020

The first workouts at Great American Ballpark and Prasco Park – the teams second training site in Mason, Ohio – will begin on Friday. There are currently 57 players on the Reds 60-man player pool roster – though with the two positive tests, only 55 players will be present.

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Phillies, Blue Jays place players on IL, COVID-19 speculation ensues — HardballTalk | NBC Sports

The Phillies and Blue Jays placed a handful of players on the 10-day injured list, inviting speculation about which players might have COVID-19.

Phillies, Blue Jays place players on IL, COVID-19 speculation ensues — HardballTalk | NBC Sports

With ‘summer camp’ about to get under way, MLB.com’s transactions log is back up and running. As of this writing, two teams have placed players on the injured list: the Phillies and Blue Jays. For the Phillies, Héctor Neris, Tommy Hunter, Ranger Suárez, and Scott Kingery are on the 10-day IL. The Blue Jays have Brandon Drury, Jonathan Davis, Hector Perez, and Elvis Luciano DL’ed. None of the players have reasons listed for their appearance, so speculation about which players might have the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has ensued.

On Tuesday, I discussed the tricky spot MLB teams are in regarding disclosure of players affected by COVID-19. Due to the Basic Agreement, teams aren’t allowed to disclose their players’ medical issues if they aren’t employment-related (consider a cancer diagnosis versus a torn UCL). The lack of transparency — whether for nefarious reasons or not — for COVID-IL players will simply invite rampant speculation, and that is what we have seen early on. Fans and members of the media alike are wondering which players, if not all of them, are suffering from the virus. Since a player’s placement on the IL typically comes with a reason for said placement, it won’t be difficult to parse which players are there for COVID-19 and which are not.

The most important thing is that players have privacy and control over their medical information. That being said, the highly public and competitive nature of their jobs has resulted in transparency regarding their medical information. One wonders if the headaches caused by the speculation might result in the current policy being amended. Players could have generic reasons listed for their placement, or teams could simply reveal which players have COVID-19. There isn’t an easy fix, but the current system doesn’t appear to be the solution.

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BLUE JAYS CLAIM VALERA

BLUE JAYS ROSTER MOVES

The Toronto Blue Jays have claimed INF Breyvic Valera off waivers from the San Diego Padres.

Additionally, RHP Bryan Baker, INF Patrick Kivlehan and OF Josh Palacios have been added to the Club Player Pool.

Valera, 28, played in 17 Major League games last season, splitting time between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. The 5-11, 190 lb. infielder batted .234 in those 17 contests and connected for his first career home run on the final day of the regular season. In 54 career games, the native of Montalban, Venezuela, holds a .223 batting average while playing for five teams. He has also slashed .299/.360/.397 across 1,001 Minor League contests.

– BLUE JAYS –

Rob Manfred Reveals MLB Players ‘Left Real Money On The Table’ During Negotiations — NESN.com

For a minute it looked as it there may not be Major League Baseball in 2020. Negotiations between the league and the MLB Players’ Association went back-and-forth for months, with both sides proposing a different amount of games for the shortened season. Eventually, a 60-game season was implemented and things have begun to get going.…

Rob Manfred Reveals MLB Players ‘Left Real Money On The Table’ During Negotiations — NESN.com

Cubs’ pitching coach Tommy Hottovy talks about his COVID-19 battle — HardballTalk | NBC Sports

He’s only 38 and took every precaution but still got seriously sick.

Cubs’ pitching coach Tommy Hottovy talks about his COVID-19 battle — HardballTalk | NBC Sports

Chicago Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy was on the Mully & Haugh Show on 670 The Score in Chicago this morning and talked about his recent battle with COVID-19.

Hottovy, who is only 38 years-old and who had no underlying health conditions, says that he and his family took every precaution they could think of. They socially distanced. They cleaned and disinfected. They wore masks. You name it. But he still got seriously, seriously sick and took a very long time to recover.

From the interview:

Hottovy called the first five to six days of his battle with the coronavirus typical with fevers and the usual symptoms. Then it got much worse.

“The problem with is on day eight through 14, it crushed me,” Hottovy said. “It got into my lungs. I got the full what they call the COVID pneumonia, a viral pneumonia, shortness of breath, really trouble breathing, constant fevers.”

Hottovy had a fever of more than 100 degrees for six straight days. He had breathing treatment upon checking into the hospital, he said. Hottovy was treated and released from the hospital on the same day, he added.

It took Hottovy 30 days before he tested negative for the coronavirus, he said. He went through what he called a stretch of depression.

There are many who have downplayed the threat of COVID-19 with respect to younger people like Hottovy or who have cited evidence of slowed death rates from the virus. As Hottovy’s example illustrates, however, even if you’re young and healthy, you can get it, it can be serious, and it can have long-term effects even after the worst of it is over.