Manager Gabe Kapler is happy to see the Giants batting practice start translating to on-field success and feels it is important to take a long view on the Giants batting average.
WASHINGTON D.C. -- The Giants will be without Mike Yastrzemski for several days after the outfielder tested positive for COVID-19, manager Gabe Kapler said Sunday morning.
The Giants were going through close contract protocols before Sunday's game to determine if anybody else needs to be removed from the clubhouse temporarily. Yastrzemski will have to stay in Washington D.C. as the team flies to Milwaukee later Sunday night. Per MLB's updated guidelines, players are supposed to isolate for 10 days after a positive test, but they can come back earlier than that if they get two negative PCR tests.
Kapler said Yastrzemski had a sore throat on Saturday but felt better Sunday morning. He was set to be in the lineup before he got the positive test result, the first of 2022 for the Giants, who generally have not dealt with many COVID cases over the past three seasons.
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"I think all teams are going to be expecting that there are going to be players that test positive," Kapler said. "That's where we are today."
MLB loosened COVID restrictions this spring, but there have still been several cases through the season's first few weeks. The A's had seven players on the COVID list at one point and both teams the Giants played previously on this road trip have had their own issues.
Their series in New York earlier this week started without Mets starters Brandon Nimmo and Mark Canha, both of whom had tested positive. Both players returned to the lineup during the series, with Nimmo only missing three total games and Canha missing five. The Cleveland Guardians put three players on the COVID list earlier this week, including Owen Miller, who returned to the active roster Sunday after missing five games.
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The Giants have not had many COVID issues, although Alex Wood and Donovan Solano missed time late last season after positive tests. Yastrzemski's result comes at a time when he was starting to find his swing. After a slow start to the season, he was 7-for-15 over the last four games. Now he will have to isolate in Washington D.C. until he gets two negative tests.
The Giants did not have time to make a roster move before Sunday's finale at Nationals Park. Kapler said a new player will meet the team in Milwaukee.