Pirates gardener Gregory Polanco tested positive for the coronavirus, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic was one of those who reported.
Polanco has been out of the Pirates Summer Camp for most of the week, making this an amazing development. However, it is not clear if you are dealing with severe symptoms or if you will be able to return in a short time. The same goes for two of his teammates, reliever. Keone Kela (whom the team placed on the disabled list on Friday) and third-base prospect Ke’Bryan Hayes. They have also been absent from the camp.
From the point of view on the field, Polanco is one of the Pirates’ most important players. He was a solid producer as recently as the 2018 season, when he hit .254 / .340 / .499 with 23 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 535 plate appearances. But Polanco couldn’t build on that during an injury-ridden 2019 that saw him take just 167 PA and hit .242 / .301 / .425 with six HRs and three steals.
Now, as Jason Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote Thursday, the Pirates without Polanco could turn to any of Guillermo Heredia, Socrates Brito, Adam Frazier or Jose Osuna in right field Bryan Reynolds figures to start on the left while Jarrod Dyson must occupy the center.
