For weeks now, the only teams to have received a positive COVID-19 test were the Cardinals and Marlins. Because of the magnitude of those outbreaks, it hardly felt like good news that other teams were not affected, but it has been encouraging when you really think about it.
And, probably not sustainable:
A Reds player has tested positive for COVID-19, sources tell The Athletic. Team defeated Pirates on Friday night, planning to host them on Saturday at 6:10 p.m. Status of that game is not yet known.
– Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 15, 2020
There was a time when this kind of one-time positive test was highly anticipated, and thought pretty easily to Water: a team would just remove this player, put him on the IL, replace him on the roster and move on.
Except what we saw with the Marlins and the Cardinals was that there was no one-time positive test – one meant a lot. And the nature of the delayed onset of this virus, combined with testing every other day, means that it just is not that difficult for multiple players to be exposed. Putting a man on the IL and calling someone else is not exactly solving your problem, and could actually create even more risks. It was always a mistake in the plans for this season, and one that I think the league just hopes … would not happen?
For now, the Reds have probably started rapid tests of everyone on the team and staff, such as contact tracking to determine how the player may have contracted the virus and to whom he passed it on (or to whom the original source may have been passed it). Ahead of those tests and that research, it still seems highly unlikely that today’s game will happen:
Saturday’s game between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates will likely be postponed after a Reds player tested positive for COVID-19, sources told ESPN.
The fallout is unclear – will be days. But after the outbreaks of Marlins and Cardinals, the occurrence of another vital importance.
– Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 15, 2020
If we have learned anything from previous cases, being overly aggressive is actually appropriately aggressive.
The Reds have done very well in the past, including players who have been quarantined for days after experiencing some symptoms that turned out not to be COVID-19. They also had a positive test in the first days of the season, Matt Davidson, but it was not a test with administration, and he also quickly started to test negative in the league tests. It’s kinda not clear what really happened.
UPDATE: Today’s game has actually been postponed:
Sunday’s game between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates has most likely been postponed, sources told ESPN. The teams could potentially play a doubleheader on Monday, if both have an off-day. They have two more series in which they can make lost games.
– Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 15, 2020
