The Atlanta Braves will not have their two best receivers, Tyler Flowers and Travis d’Arnaud, for Friday’s opening game at the New York Mets after both players showed symptoms of the coronavirus.
Manager Brian Snitker said Friday that Flowers and d’Arnaud tested negative for COVID-19 but did not travel with the team because they had symptoms. Snitker said he didn’t know what the symptoms were and hoped the two simply had “a bad cold.”
Snitker said the team is being careful because “we’ve had guys who tested negative and tested positive the next day.”
First baseman Freddie Freeman and right-hander Touki Toussaint are back with the team and on the Opening Day roster after testing positive at the start of summer camp. Left-handed reliever Will Smith and infielder Pete Kozma have not returned after the positive tests.
Snitker said the team was trying to avoid contact between catchers and other players in case they have positive tests.
Alex Jackson and William Contreras are next in line for the catcher. Jackson is listed as the starter for Friday’s game.
Snitker called Jackson “a very solid receiver” who hit “a couple of home runs” at summer camp.
“You should feel good about yourself,” Snitker said.
The manager added that Flowers and d’Arnaud will continue to be tested.
“I don’t know if it’s not just a cold, but you’re cautious these days,” Snitker said. “If this happened a year ago, I would bring them in and treat them, and they would probably still be available.”
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