After evading team-wide coronavirus trouble for more than a month, the Astros’ season is momentarily halted due to two positive cases in and around their organization.
Sunday’s series finale against the A’s was postponed after a member of the Oakland organization tested positive for COVID-19. The Astros then shut down their alternate training site in Corpus Christi due to a positive test — the second positive reported from Whataburger Field in the last 10 days.
The Astros were retested Sunday, general manager James Click said. Major league teams are undergoing testing every other day, pursuant to MLB’s health and safety protocols. All of the Astros’ tests from Friday returned negative, according to Click.
The Astros’ major league team went into isolation Sunday as it awaited the test results and the outcome of contact tracing protocols. Click said the Sunday results should arrive Monday.
If an Astros player or staffer turns up during contact tracing for either positive test, Click said, the team will conduct rapid testing locally. Houston summoned utilityman Aledmys Diaz and rightander Luis Garcia from its alternate site at Corpus Christi on Saturday, and both were with the major league team for both ends of its doubleheader sweep over the A’s.
The Astros shut down their alternate site for the first time Aug. 22 following a single positive test. It reopened Tuesday. Click did not reveal whether the latest positive case was from a player or staff member.
“We are optimistic it will be similar to the last time,” Click said. “We will go through the same procedures in terms of the contact tracing and the deep cleaning, but we did just get that result this morning.”
Oakland’s positive case occurred within the team’s round of Friday testing, A’s general manager David Forst told reporters. Forst could not specify whether the affected individual was a player or staff member. Click said he was informed of the A’s case at around 1 a.m. Sunday, hours after the Astros and A’s completed their doubleheader at Minute Maid Park.
Oakland’s entire traveling party will conduct contact tracing and self-isolate while remaining in Houston, according to an announcement from the A’s. It is unclear how long the team will stay in Houston or when it may resume its season. The Athletics are schedule to begin a three-game series at Seattle on Tuesday.
“We are going to play this thing absolutely as safe as possible,” Click said.
Click could not estimate when the Astros might play again but did confirm that Sunday’s game will not be made up Monday — a previously scheduled off day for both clubs. The Astros did not play Wednesday or Thursday due to the threat of Hurricane Laura and postponed their game Friday to protest racial injustice and police brutality.
Sunday’s game was supposed to be Oakland’s last at Minute Maid Park this season. The Astros travel to the Oakland Coliseum for a four-game series Sept. 7-10 — a road trip that concludes with two games at Dodger Stadium on Sept. 12-13. Both the Astros and A’s share an off day Sept. 14.
“We would definitely prioritize having it here,” said Click, whose team is 2½ games behind the A’s in the American League West. “The idea of having to play an additional home game on the road, like we’re having to do already with Anaheim, definitely undercuts some of the home-field advantage.
“But the safety of the players and staff of both the A’s and our own is paramount. We’ll deal with what we have to deal with to get this game in, but obviously, it would be great to get it here in Houston.”
The Astros’ next scheduled game is Tuesday, when they are supposed to begin a three-game series with the Rangers at Minute Maid Park.
“We’re obviously taking our cues from Major League Baseball and our health and safety people. Once we have a better idea of the test results from (Sunday), we’ll be able to address the Rangers series,” Click said. “But hopefully, if the contact tracing comes back negative and the testing comes back negative, we’ll be able to go on Tuesday. But we’re going to wait and see until we have those results before making any sort of call on that.”
Click said the visiting clubhouse at Minute Maid Park was cleaned and sanitized Saturday night, prior to the news of Oakland’s positive test. The area experienced another “deep cleaning” Sunday and, according to Click, might be sanitized again Monday in anticipation of the Rangers’ possible arrival.
After outbreaks on the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals forced the postponement of several games this month, Major League Baseball instituted a set of stricter COVID-19 protocols that included — among other things — mandatory mask-wearing for all players and coaches who weren’t on the field and compliance officers to enforce protocols on the road.
Positive tests have occurred since, but at a minuscule rate. On Friday, MLB and the MLBPA announced that out of 12,276 tests administered over the past week, zero players and two staff members tested positive. Those numbers did not include Friday’s tests, which discovered Oakland’s positive case.
Since the stricter protocols were implemented, team-to-team transmission has been almost nonexistent, inviting hope the Astros might avoid a long absence.
“The hope is that there is no cross-team contamination, similar to what we’ve seen in other scenarios,” Click said. “Additionally, given that this happened after Major League Baseball instituted the additional protocols, hopefully, hopefully, hopefully this thing is contained and we can move forward.”
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