Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez revealed that two of the team’s 60 players tested positive for the coronavirus during admission tests.
Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez revealed that two of the team’s 60 players tested positive for the coronavirus during admission tests on Sunday.
Martinez made the announcement during a Zoom call with the media on Sunday and said none of the players who tested positive have been to the National Park.
The two players, whom Martinez did not identify, were found to have COVID-19 during admission tests. Everyone must show negative results before they are allowed to enter the stadium.
To clarify something: 58 national players took admission tests. So far, 2 of them have turned positive. A handful of test results, primarily Latin American players who had to travel further than others, have yet to return.
– Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) July 5, 2020
Sean Doolittle, a relief pitcher for the Nationals, has expressed skepticism about the MLB’s ability to start the baseball season as the coronavirus pandemic resurfaces in several states across the country.
In a Sunday Zoom call to the media, Doolittle questioned why he was tested for the virus again earlier in the day, when he had not yet received his test results on Friday.
He scrapped the idea that fans could return to baseball stadiums after games resume, which was recently suggested by some owners.
“We have done nothing of what other countries have done to recover sports,” said Doolittle.
“Sports are like the reward of a functioning society. And we’re trying to get it back, even though we didn’t take any of the steps to flatten the curve. “
“We need help from the general public. If you want to see baseball, please wear a mask, social distance, keep washing your hands. “
Sean Doolittle urges fans and the public to remain diligent during the coronavirus pandemic. #Nationals @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/xUN0dkGdiB
– NBC4 Sports (@ NBC4Sports) July 5, 2020
The Nationals have been training in the park for the past few days before the start of the 2020 season, and the team is expected to host the New York Yankees on July 23.
Pitcher Max Scherzer will oppose new Yankee Gerrit Cole, who was a member of the Houston Astros team that the Nationals defeated in the 2019 World Series.
The San Francisco Giants are also expected to be in Los Angeles to face the Dodgers that same day, with the rest of the Major Leagues playing the next day, July 24.
First baseman Ryan Zimmerman and pitcher Joe Ross recently announced that they would not be participating in the shortened season due to health and personal reasons.
Major League Baseball will officially announce a 60-game schedule on Monday, while The Nationals will defend its World Series Championship.
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