2 Cincinnati Reds-Pittsburgh Pirates games postponed after player's positive COVID-19 test
The Cincinnati Reds will pause their season for at least two days after one player tested positive for COVID-19 following Friday's 8-1 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Reds and Pirates postponed their games on Saturday and Sunday. No make-up dates were announced, but they could play a doubleheader Monday if additional tests are negative because both teams share an off day, a high-ranking official told The Enquirer.
There was the one unidentified Reds player who tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday night, but the rest of the team's tests were negative, a source told The Enquirer. Contact tracing began immediately after the Reds learned of the positive test.
Major League Baseball said in a statement that the two games were postponed this weekend "to allow for additional testing and to complete the contact tracing process."
[ TAKE THE GAMES WITH YOU: Download the Cincinnati.com Sports app. ]
The Reds are expected to undergo increased testing over the next two days, which should provide a better glimpse at whether the novel coronavirus spread in the clubhouse. The St. Louis Cardinals initially had two players test positive when they postponed their first game. They totaled 13 positive tests just four days later.
When a player tests positive, according to the league's operations manual, he must immediately isolate himself. He will have regular follow-up testing and monitor symptoms daily. The contact-tracing process will determine if other players or staff members need to quarantine.
The Reds became the third team this season to have a game postponed because of a positive COVID-19 test. The Miami Marlins halted play for nine days after they had 20 members of their team (18 players and two coaches) test positive.
The Cardinals resumed their season with a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, but they've played only seven games. It was their first game since July 29 after 18 people (10 players and eight staff members) tested positive.
MLB announced Friday afternoon there were four new positive tests out of 12,301 samples within the past week, and the only positive tests were from the Cardinals.
Friday was the first time the Reds had a positive league-administered test since the start of the season. Matt Davidson tested positive on an expedited diagnostic test, but it was apparently a false positive because he tested negative on all subsequent tests and an antibodies test. Nick Senzel, Mike Moustakas and Joey Votto have missed games after they reported symptoms to the team's medical staff, but they all tested negative afterward.
Davidson missed six games. Senzel and Moustakas missed three games. Votto missed a doubleheader against Detroit.
Derek Dietrich was one of two Reds players who tested positive for COVID-19 prior to intake testing at the beginning of preseason camp. Dietrich, now with the Texas Rangers, missed the first two weeks of camp, then requested his release when he wasn't placed on the Opening Day roster.
Players complete a daily symptom survey each morning and record their temperature twice each morning. There are league-administered tests every other day through saliva samples that are processed by MLB labs in Utah and New Jersey, which take 24-48 hours for results.
The Pirates were off for the last three days prior to Thursday's series opener against the Reds because they were scheduled to play the Cardinals. If the Reds and Pirates are unable to play Monday, they have two more series against each other (Sept. 4-6 at Pittsburgh; Sept. 14-16 at GABP) and they share an off day on Sept. 7.
The Reds, who have a 9-11 record, are scheduled to travel to Kansas City for a two-game series against the Royals, beginning Tuesday.
There have been 21 consecutive days in which an MLB team had a game postponed.