It was announced that four Minnesota Twins players, including third baseman Miguel Sano, and two Boston Red Sox pitchers tested positive for COVID-19, as several teams addressed coronavirus cases among their players on Saturday.
Along with Sano, wide receiver Willians Astudillo, shortstop Nick Gordon and right reliever Edwar Colina tested positive for the Twins, according to the team.
Red Sox lefties Josh Taylor and Darwinzon Hernandez tested positive and were isolated from their teammates, according to manager Ron Roenicke.
Also on Saturday, four Atlanta Braves players, first baseman Freddie Freeman, reliever Will Smith, right-hander Touki Toussaint and infielder Pete Kozma, caused the team to reveal its positive results, and the Kansas receiver City Royals Salvador Pérez announced his diagnosis in a call with reporters.
St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak announced that left-handers Ricardo Sánchez and Génesis Cabrera had tested positive, with some results still pending.
Braves manager Brian Snitker said Freeman had a fever, but added that it is too early to know if the four-time All-Star for the start of the season could be jeopardized.
Pérez told reporters that he was asymptomatic and could play baseball today if necessary, though regulations in the 2020 operations manual would prevent this. Pérez said he would fail at least 12 days before he could join the team.
Major League Baseball and the players’ association announced Friday that 31 players and seven staff members had tested positive for COVID-19, a rate of 1.2%.
MLB will not identify which players test positive for the coronavirus, citing privacy laws. The teams will also not specifically announce a COVID-19 disabled list placement for a player who is removed from the club after testing positive; It will be just a trip to IL.
But some positive diagnoses will come out. The players announced Friday that the positive tests were Cleveland Indians outfielder Delino DeShields and San Diego Padres outfielder Tommy Pham.
Snitker said concerns will remain even after all four Braves players return to practice.
“The boys have received it more than once,” Snitker said. “We will have to be careful all year round, and it will be the new normal for the next three months.”
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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