The most important aspect of Major League Baseball’s comeback (the new coronavirus screening test) is not going as well as some had hoped.
There appear to be problems with the tests being taken and some teams do not receive those results quickly. The Nationals and Astros canceled training on Monday for that reason, and the Athletics did the same on Sunday. The Angels kept evaluators from showing up to camp in one day, The Athletic reported. On Friday, players and staff members from the Nationals and Astros underwent testing for the new coronavirus, but by Monday those results had yet to arrive.
“We cannot make our players and staff work at risk,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement. “Therefore, we have canceled the training of our team scheduled for this morning. We will not sacrifice the health and safety of our players, staff, and their families. Without accurate and timely evidence, it is simply not safe for us to continue Summer Camp. Major League Baseball needs to work quickly to solve problems with its process and its laboratory. Otherwise, summer camp and the 2020 season are at risk. “
Astros catcher Martin Maldonado went to Twitter to raise the issue on Monday morning.
“On Monday and there are still no results on Friday, we are testing today, but I did not get the results of my last one,” Maldonado wrote.
The A’s tests are still in San Francisco, waiting to be sent to Utah, according to The Athletic. MLB had promised a 24-48 hour shift, which has not been the case for select teams.
“If possible, I’m as frustrated and angry as you are, and I assure you, the rest of the staff is, too,” Oakland CEO David Forst told the players and staff in a memo.
“This has to be fixed,” Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle told reporters Sunday.
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