Washington National outfielder Juan Soto has tested positive for the new coronavirus (COVID-19), Nats general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters, including Jesse Dougherty of The Athletic. Soto will miss the first game of the 2020 season on Thursday night against the Yankees in National Park in Washington DC
Soto, 21, had been late to summer camp because he was in quarantine because he had contacted someone who had tested positive for COVID-19. It is unclear when the positive test occurred. Rizzo said Soto is currently asymptomatic.
Soto appears to be the third Nationals player to test positive for COVID-19. Two players tested positive on July 5, after the first round of league results. The Nationals also had two players, Ryan Zimmerman and Joe Ross, who withdrew from the 2020 season in late June. Soto joins Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo, and others, as players who tested positive for the coronavirus.
The latest round of testing for MLB coronavirus (COVID-19) was promising, showing a new positive COVID-19 rate of 0.05 percent. But it is unclear how the test results will be affected once the season begins and the teams begin to travel to opponents’ stadiums. The subject of fast and reliable COVID-19 testing is one of the biggest off-field questions MLB faces this season.
MLB created a new COVID-19 Related Injury List to help navigate the pandemic this season. There is no minimum or maximum stay, and for a player to be eligible to return, they must be negative twice at least 24 hours apart, show no symptoms for 72 hours, and receive approval from team doctors.
The Nationals did not include Soto when they announced their list of 30 men for Opening Day:
The youngster was a star for the Nationals last season, where he posted a .282 / .401 / .548 cut line (138 OPS +) in 150 games. Soto ended up tied for most Nationals home runs (34) with Anthony Rendon, and is the centerpiece of Washington’s offense.
Soto finished with the club’s fifth-best WAR (4.6), behind Stephen Strasburg, Rendon, Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin, in just his second major league season. In 2018, Soto finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year vote, and in 2019, he finished ninth in the National League MVP vote. During the 2019 national championship, Soto set the pace for the Nats’ offense, hitting .277 / .373 / .554 in 17 playoff games. In Game 6 of the World Series, Soto homered.
Although the coronavirus is considered a respiratory disease, the disease can affect various systems and organs. That includes possible effects on the heart and brain. More than 140,000 Americans have died this year from COVID-19.
