Gardener Socrates Brito and right-handed Blake Cederlind Both have tested positive for the coronavirus, Pirates manager Derek Shelton told reporters (including Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The two players agreed to be identified as positive, although Shelton did not provide further details on their condition, saying only “There are some other things that they have to do medically before they can get back on the field. “
League rules dictate that Brito and Cederlind be quarantined for two weeks, and then must be symptom-free and negative on two separate tests before being reunited with their teammates. While health is obviously the main concern in this situation, the two-week hiatus will make it harder for Brito or Cederlind to be on the Bucs’ Opening Day list, though Mackey notes that “Cederlind was not expected to Neither Brito will start the 2020 Season with the great club. “
Brito signed a minor league contract with Pittsburgh over the winter, culminating a 2019 that saw him belong to four different organizations (Diamondbacks, Padres, Blue Jays, and finally the Pirates) within the calendar year. Brito dressed for 17 games last season, all with Toronto, making just 0.291 OPS and 17 strikeouts in 43 plate appearances. The 27-year-old only has a .179 / .216 / .309 cut line over 218 Major League Baseball career PA, although he has made some good numbers in the minors and can play all three positions in the outfield. .
Cederlind was a fifth-round pick for the Pirates in the 2016 draft, and is 28th on the MLB Pipeline’s list of the 30 best minor leagues in Pittsburgh. He didn’t produce much in his first three professional seasons, though Mackey notes that Cederlind’s luck changed after turning his 100mph fastball into a sinkhole: the right-hander had a combined ERA of 2.28, 8.3 K / 9 and 2.29 K / BB over 59 1/3 tickets combined at high A, Double A, and Triple A levels in 2019. This performance put him on the radar as a possible summons sometime in the 2020 season, as rebuilding pirates can afford give glances to any promising young man.
