Reds/Pirates games postponed due to positive COVID test

The games between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds which were scheduled for today and tomorrow have been postponed after a Cincinnati Reds player tested positive for COVID-19, it was announced today.

Only one Reds player has tested positive so far, and the Reds and Pirates (who played the Reds yesterday) will presumably quarantine this weekend and undergo daily testing. Given what we know about transmission, it seems unlikely a Pirates player would have contracted COVID-19 from a Reds player from playing yesterday, but the Pirates, I’m sure, will want to err on the side of caution and quarantine while they make sure.

The Pirates and Reds are both off on Monday, and so quarantining until then makes sense, and if there are still no positive tests for the Pirates, they presumably will return to action on Tuesday. The Reds start a two game series against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday, with the Reds then starting a series on Thursday against the Cardinals (who, of course, went over two weeks without playing because of an outbreak amongst their team). I wouldn’t be surprised if MLB either pushed Tuesday’s Reds/Royals game back a day and made it part of a doubleheader on Wednesday, or simply canceled the Tuesday/Wednesday games altogether.

How things play out for Cincinnati largely will depend on testing results the next few days. If the one positive is an isolated case, and there are no more positives, they will most likely resume play quickly. More positives, however, would mean games next week would likely be postponed, as MLB will be erring on the side of caution in regards to ensuring that the outbreak has been fully identified and halted before having the Reds return to action.