CINCINNATI — According to the Cincinnati Reds, this weekend's games against the Pittsburgh Pirates have been postponed after a Reds player tested positive for COVID-19 following Friday’s 8-1 victory over the Pirates.
"Following a positive test for COVID-19 by a Cincinnati Reds player, tonight’s scheduled game, as well as tomorrow afternoon’s contest, between the Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park have been postponed to allow for additional testing and to complete the contact tracing process," Reds officials said in a news release Saturday.
It is not clear which player tested positive for COVID-19.
Saturday was going to mark the first time that all 30 major-league teams had played since July 26. But now the Reds, the only team in the National League Central that hadn’t had a game postponed or rescheduled, will not play.
When there is a positive test, contact tracing is done to determine which players or staff were in contact with that person so they can be quarantined. According to Major League Baseball, that process is underway.
MLB and its teams will not release the name of the player who tests positive without the player’s consent.
The Reds, who are now one-third through the abbreviated 60-game schedule, have a 9-11 record and are tied with the Brewers for second place in the NL Central, 5 1/2 games behind the Cubs.
There was no official word on when the games would be made up or how it would impact the Reds’ pitching rotation.
The Reds are scheduled to have an off day on Monday before embarking on a 10-game road trip in Kansas City, St. Louis and Milwaukee. Monday’s off day could afford them an opportunity to make up this weekend’s postponement with a doubleheader. The Pirates and Reds have six games remaining on the schedule, three at GABP.
While the Reds had not had a confirmed positive test administered as part of the league’s protocols prior to today, they have had to take precautions with players who self-reported symptoms, including Mike Moustakas, Joey Votto and Nick Senzel. Moustakas and Senzel each missed three games, while Votto missed only one.
Infielder Matt Davidson tested positive for COVID-19 the day after Opening Day via a non-league administered test and was placed on the injured list; however, subsequent tests were negative. Davidson missed six games.
It has been a bumpy ride for MLB since restarting the season in July amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. There has been at least one game postponed in each of the past 21 days.
The Miami Marlins had 18 players and two coaches test positive in July, and they didn’t play for nine days. The St. Louis Cardinals resumed play on Saturday for the first time since July 29 after 10 players and eight staff members tested positive. St. Louis has played five games since then. Due to the postponements, the Cardinals now must play 53 games in 44 days.
The Cleveland Indians quarantined pitchers Zach Plesac and Mike Clevinger after they violated a COVID-related curfew during a road trip in Chicago.
During the most recent round of testing under the MLB COVID-19 Health Monitoring and Testing Plan, 18 newly diagnosed cases were found among players.
