LOS ANGELES — David Price has become the first Dodgers player to opt out of the 2020 season. The left-hander made his announcement on Twitter on Saturday afternoon, the second day of official workouts at Dodger Stadium. “Dear Dodgers Nation,” Price posted, “After considerable thought and discussion with my family and the Dodgers, I have…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — Royals catcher Salvador Perez has tested positive for the coronavirus, the team announced on July 4. The athlete is asymptomatic and staying at his Kansas City home. He said his family is safe and he feels good. It will take consecutive negative tests for him to be allowed to play. […]
Atlanta Braves four-time All-Star Freddie Freeman, premier reliever Will Smith and two teammates have tested positive for the coronavirus, a jarring hit to the NL East champions less than three weeks before the start of the pandemic-delayed season. ”It will be …
Atlanta Braves four-time All-Star Freddie Freeman, premier reliever Will Smith and two teammates have tested positive for the coronavirus, a jarring hit to the NL East champions less than three weeks before the start of the pandemic-delayed season. ”It will be a while before we can get him Continue reading on Yahoo Sports
Atlanta Braves four-time All-Star Freddie Freeman, premier reliever Will Smith and two teammates have tested positive for the coronavirus, a jarring hit to the NL East champions less than three weeks before the start of the pandemic-delayed season.
”It will be a while before we can get him back,” manager Brian Snitker said Saturday about Freeman.
Snitker said the four players, including right-hander Touki Toussaint and infielder Pete Kozma, agreed to have the team disclose their positive tests.
Snitker said Freeman had a negative intake test early in the week before having a positive test on Friday. Snitker said the first baseman has a fever and ”is not feeling great.”
Major League Baseball has scheduled the 60-game season to start on July 23. Freeman is the biggest star in the sport so far to have his positive virus test publicly announced by his team.
It is too early to know if Freeman’s status for the start of the season could be jeopardized.
Nick Markakis said. ”I hope Freddie heals up quickly. I know he’s young, healthy. I hope he heals up and gets back as quickly as possible because as you know with 60 games, one week can change things quickly.”
The 30-year-old Freeman set career highs with 38 home runs and 121 RBIs last season to help Atlanta win its second straight NL East title. He placed fourth in the NL MVP voting in 2018 after hitting .309 with 23 homers and winning a Gold Glove.
Snitker said concerns will remain even after the four players return to workouts.
”Guys have gotten it more than once,” Snitker said. ”We’re going to have to be careful all year and it’s going to be the new normal for the next three months.”
Snitker said it was important for baseball and society to know even one of the game’s biggest stars can test positive.
”It sobers everybody up that this is real,” Snitker said. ”… It shows that this is a real deal and no one is immune to it.”
MLB and the players’ association announced Friday that 31 players and seven staff members had tested positive for COVID-19, a rate of 1.2 percent. Snitker said he was surprised the numbers were not higher.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon, had been baseball’s biggest star to test positive before Freeman.
Snitker also said first base coach Eric Young Sr., 53, has opted out of for the season due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Braves began their summer workouts at Truist Park on Friday and continued Saturday with only small groups on the field together and attempts made to practice social distancing.
Mark Melancon for the closer’s role.
Snitker said Smith and Toussaint have no symptoms. He said Kozma, who is working with top minor leaguers at the team’s Triple-A Gwinnett facilty, has a fever.
Snitker said Smith ”feels great. He’s anxious to get back.”
DeMarlo Hale, who had been a special assistant with the team, will fill in for Young to coach outfielders and serve as the first base coach.
”I applaud EY,” Snitker said. ”It was a tough decision for him. He’s an old gamer and we’ll miss him dearly for what he brings inside this clubhouse and his energy and everything.”
Padres outfielder Tommy Pham tested positive for the coronavirus, San Diego general manager A.J. Preller said Friday. According to Preller, Pham was asymptomatic and in quarantine. “I’ve been in contact with him every single day and he feels fine,” Preller told reporters .”.. As a staff, we’ve been following all the contact-tracing protocols and all […]
SAN FRANCISCO — Giants pitcher Jeff Samardzija thinks he has an advantage on most of his Major League peers, and he’s looking to press it. But he’s not sure Major League Baseball’s owners will give him the opportunity. You see, Samardzija has played in front of empty stands before. And we’re not talking about a…
But he’s not sure Major League Baseball’s owners will give him the opportunity.
You see, Samardzija has played in front of empty stands before. And we’re not talking about a two-bad-teams-on-a-cold-Tuesday-in-September kind of empty — no, we’re talking about 100 percent unfilled seats.
It happened back in 2015, when Samardzija started a game for the Chicago White Sox against the Orioles in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray while he was in police custody and the violent protests that followed in that city. The game was ordered to be played behind closed doors. Attendance: zero.
Of course, the current expectation is that because of the COVID-19 pandemic baseball fans won’t be allowed into the ballpark for the 60-game regular season that will start in a few weeks.
But when Samardzija was asked about his experience in 2015 and what he could carry from that into the 2020 season at the Giants’ first day of “Summer Camp” at Oracle Park Friday, the veteran righty took the opportunity to take a shot at Major League Baseball’s owners.
“I wouldn’t put the cart before the horse there,” Samardzija said. “I think there’s going to be fans in the stands. I think we’ve seen with these owners, they’re not scared of anything… They’re not scared to put anyone at risk if they get the opportunity to, especially if it makes them money.”
Samardzija might have been placing his tongue in his cheek a bit, his comment highlighted the fact that, despite the fact that the season has re-started following weeks of contentious labor negotiations, tensions between the players and owners are still high.
His prediction of fans being in the stands isn’t off-base, either. While such a scenario seems unlikely in California, Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said last month that he expects to allow fans into home games this year in an effort to counter some of the revenue losses brought on by the pandemic-shorted season.
“That’s the way it’s going to be. The owners have already said that’s what they want,” Samardzija said. “But to the fans: I just want them to be safe, too. If that means they have to watch us from home, so be it.”
As for his experience pitching in front of an empty ballpark:
“For one game of the season, I’m gonna have a huge advantage of playing in front of no fans before,” Samardzija said. “So I’m excited about that. And we’ll take full advantage of that.”
Samardzija should hope that history helps him the second time around. In that fan-free game in Baltimore, he allowed seven earned runs in five innings pitched.
SAN FRANCISCO — A second San Francisco Giants player has tested positive for COVID-19, manager Gabe Kapler announced Friday afternoon. Luis Madero, a 23-year-old pitcher, was tested on Tuesday for the novel coronavirus. The positive result was learned Thursday. Madero is the second known Giant with to contract COVID-19, but the first member of the…
As coronavirus cases have continued to rise throughout the last two weeks, the NBA has massaged the messaging behind its Disney World campus: With a controlled environment, aggressive testing and monitoring and limited personnel, the so-called bubble where the league is staging its restart could potentially be safer than the world around it. But there…
A total of 31 players and seven staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 through the first wave of testing, MLB and the MLB Players Association announced Friday. Among those who tested positive is Cleveland outfielder Delino DeShields Jr., Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti announced Friday. Antonetti said DeShields granted permission for the […]
A total of 31 players and seven staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 through the first wave of testing, MLB and the MLB Players Association announced Friday.
Among those who tested positive is Cleveland outfielder Delino DeShields Jr., Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti announced Friday.
Antonetti said DeShields granted permission for the club to share and discuss his medical diagnosis. DeShields is currently under quarantine away from the club.
“Delino is doing really well,” Antonetti told reporters during a Zoom conference call. “He’s at home. He’s just waiting to get a negative test that would allow him to travel. He has very mild symptoms.
“He has to test negative twice, two negative tests spread out by at least 24 hours, before he’s allowed in our environment. He took another test recently. We are waiting those results.”
According to a joint release, 3,185 total samples were tested, making for a positivity rate of 1.2%. Of the league’s 30 teams, 19 have had at least one positive test.
It is unclear how many players and staff members in total have been tested. Each team has a 30-man roster and a 30-man taxi squad as they prepare to begin a shortened season in late July.
The league will not reveal specific players or staff members who have tested positive. Dating to March, there have been several positive tests from players and staffers across the league — many of whom remained anonymous — who have since recovered.
The number of positive tests in MLB appears relatively small compared to the NHL and NBA, who have also released data on their coronavirus testing.
On Monday, the NHL said that 26 of more than 250 total players (and 1,450 tests) had been positive over the previous three weeks, a time period featuring voluntary workouts at team facilities. The NBA said Thursday that 25 of 351 players have tested positive since June 23, along with 10 of 884 staff members.
MLB players reported this week to camps, which are taking place at their home stadiums. The league is targeting July 23 or 24 for the opening of the 60-game season, with the schedule yet to be released.
Several players have already opted out of participating, including three from the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals.
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers have all but guaranteed themselves the top two playoff seeds and face a balancing act when the NBA returns to action. While other teams will be fighting for a postseason berth or playoff seedings when they play the final eight regular-season games in Florida, the Lakers […]
by Dustin Brewer The issues continue to mount for the NBA as they fight to get to their scheduled July 30th restart of the season in Orlando at Disney World. Here is a list of all the teams attending and the players that will not be attending.
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.
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.…
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.)