Last season’s two World Series teams on Monday canceled workouts because of COVID-19 testing delays that one executive worried could endanger the season.
Defending World Series champions the Washington Nationals and reigning American League champions the Houston Astros called off training camps after not receiving test results from Friday last week.
The St Louis Cardinals also scrubbed their scheduled workout for similar reasons.
The cancelations come amid some players opting out of the season, and in the aftermath of Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle criticizing slow test results and a lack of some personal protective equipment (PPE).
“Without accurate and timely testing, it is simply not safe for us to continue with summer camp,” Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said. “Major League Baseball needs to work quickly to resolve issues with their process and their lab. Otherwise, summer camp and the 2020 season are at risk.”
Astros general manager James Click said that the delay and the contagious nature of COVID-19 led to the decision to cancel a full day of workouts.
“Despite these delays over the holiday weekend, we’re optimistic that this process will be ironed out, and we’ll be back on the field and ready to compete for a championship soon,” Click said.
Hours later, the Astros said that they had received the delayed test results and planned to work out yesterday.
MLB said in a statement that 95 percent of its intake testing had been completed and the Utah laboratory it is using had reported 98 percent of results, a majority of those a day after samples were collected.
The league said that it addressed delays caused by the holiday weekend, does not expect them to continue and commended teams for canceling workouts, but frustration is building over testing delays.
“We got camps being shut down, and people going three and four days without tests. You just don’t know what’s going on,” Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts said. “And I know it’s hard. I’m not blaming or saying this, that and the other. It’s hard, but somebody’s got to do it and we have to just figure out the right way to do it.”
The Los Angeles Angels on Sunday were forced to collect their own saliva samples when testers did not show up at their training complexes in Anaheim or Long Beach. They also delayed their workouts on Monday to accommodate the testers, eventually turning their usual morning drills into an optional afternoon session.
Angels manager Joe Maddon believes “this will be a short-lived situation” and pinned the problem on the holiday weekend.
“I want to believe everything will get straightened out relatively soon,” Maddon said. “I think it’s just one of those moments that was hard to foresee coming into it, but I’ve got a lot of confidence that it’s going to be fixed.”
Meanwhile, players continue to test positive or opt out of playing this season.
Texas Rangers All-Star outfielder Joey Gallo on Monday was isolating at his Dallas apartment after two positive test results sandwiched between a negative.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said that Gallo was asymptomatic.
“You had to have the mindset that there were going to be some kinks to be worked out,” Daniels said. “It’s just not realistic to roll out an operation of this scale on as quick a time line as we’ve had and not deal with some challenges.”
Diamondbacks outfielder Kole Calhoun also tested positive, but is asymptomatic and feels good, manager Torey Lovullo said.
Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis became the latest high-profile player to choose not to play.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price, Colorado Rockies infielder Ian Desmond, Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and Braves pitcher Felix Hernandez are among those who have also opted out.
Multiple Blue Jays players did not make the trip to Toronto for training camp after one player tested positive, said an official familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about it.
Players who were in contact with the unnamed player would remain in Florida for further testing and take a charter later in the week if cleared, the official said.
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