ARLINGTON, Texas – All-Star hitter Joey Gallo tested positive for the coronavirus, forcing the asymptomatic outfielder to miss the start of summer camp for the Texas Rangers after being among teammates who had worked in his new stadium for several years. weeks before that.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Monday that Gallo has had multiple tests, including one that came back negative. He was isolating himself in his high-rise apartment in Dallas and away from his teammates.
“Our mentality in going into this was that it’s not a matter of whether the guys tested positive, but when,” Daniels said. “Obviously this does not discriminate if he is a star player [or] Someone trying to make the club. The key for us is that Joey is asymptomatic and feels good. … He told me yesterday that he feels as good as ever and that he is in the best shape he has ever been in. “
The 26-year-old initially took a saliva test as part of the team’s admission process on June 27 and came back positive two days later. Gallo, who allowed the Rangers to share the information, had a negative smear test on June 30, but then had another saliva test that tested positive on Sunday.
Daniels said he was not concerned that Gallo previously worked with other teammates at the stadium “because whoever else was here had gone through the testing procedure and it came back negative. So I feel pretty good about that part.”
The Rangers said Friday, the day of first practice, that left-handed reliever Brett Martin had tested positive for the coronavirus during the admission process. He had spent time away from home in Tennessee. Martin, who is already at increased risk because he has type 1 diabetes, has also isolated himself in the Dallas area since his positive test.
Gallo and Martin will have to undergo two consecutive negative tests more than 24 hours apart and receive a doctor’s authorization before they can join the team.
Martin, who pitched in 51 games as a rookie last season, had felt some mild symptoms of COVID-19, including congestion and fatigue.
Daniels said Gallo should be ready when he clears up, assuming he doesn’t develop any symptoms. The team recommended that he do only light activities on his own while away from the team.
“Obviously Joey is one of our best players. From a baseball point of view, he’s not great. But he’s also early in the process, and if this follows the timeline [of] In some of the other asymptomatic cases that we know of, it will take a long time to get ready, “Daniels said.” I hope it will be approximately two weeks. Most of that time has already passed. If that happens, it will be ready for the season. “
Monday marked the fourth day of the Rangers’ summer camp, and the ninth day since the initial test for Gallo, which came back positive. The Rangers hope to open the season on July 24.
Gallo has 110 career home runs in his 416 major league games. After consecutive seasons of 40 home runs while hitting below .210, he had 22 home runs and a .253 average in 70 games last season and was an All-Star before right wrist surgery. He homered in the All-Star Game.
First baseman Ronald Guzmán has not participated in practice since the Rangers started camp. Daniels said Monday that Guzmán was still in the admission process and was not yet authorized for training, although he was allowed to be on the team’s premises.
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