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Lane Thomas Tests Positive For COVID-19

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Outfielder Lane Thomas it the latest St. Louis Cardinal to test positive for coronavirus, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Major League Baseball had already announced the cancellation of the Cardinals upcoming series with the Pirates, meaning they remain stuck on just five games played. They’ve now missed 13 consecutive games. It’s still unclear when they’ll return to play and just how severe any of the  Cardinals cases are. President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak did say that a couple of players went to the emergency room, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN, although they did not have to stay at the hospital.

The Cardinals have now had 10 players and 7 staff members test positive, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. There aren’t believed to be any more positive tests coming, though the organization has extended its effort with contact tracing and vigorous testing will continue. If there are no more newly-discovered positive tests moving forward, it’s conceivable that the Cardinals could return to play this weekend. In order for that conversation to happen, however, the Cardinals will first look for consecutive days without a positive test, per Rogers.

Cardinals-Pirates Series Postponed; Cardinals Expect Additional COVID-19 Positive

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August 9: This week’s series between the Cardinals and Pirates has been postponed in its entirety, as first reported by Jon Heyman of MLB Network. As a result, the Cardinals have had 15 consecutive postponements and will have just 46 days to make up 55 games if they are to play the entire 2020 schedule. In addition, Heyman reports that the Cardinals are expected to reveal “at least one” additional positive COVID-19 test after yesterday’s round of testing.

MLB officially announced the cancellation with a press release that reads: “Major League Baseball announced today that the upcoming three-game series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, scheduled for Monday through Wednesday at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, has been postponed.  In light of the most recent positive test results, MLB and the Club believe it is prudent to conduct additional testing while players and staff are quarantined before the team returns to play.  More information regarding the Cardinals’ resumption of play will be announced later in the week.”

August 8, 9:57 PM: It’s been confirmed by Jeff Passan and Jason Mackey (via Twitter). The Cardinals and Pirates’ Monday meeting has been postponed.

6:17 PM: The St. Louis Cardinals have been told that they won’t be coming together again as a team for at least 3-5 days, per The Athletic’s Mark Saxon (via Twitter). Obviously, the implication here is that their upcoming series with the Pittsburgh Pirates will be canceled. Major League Baseball has not made an official announcement as of yet.

Cardinals players will continue with personal workouts for the time being – they haven’t seen game action in over a week. The Cardinals last saw the diamond on Wednesday, July 29th in a 3-0 loss to the Twins. They are likely to go more than two weeks before returning to the field. While most of the rest of the league is pushing towards (or already past) the quarter mark for the season, the Cardinals are stuck on a 2-3 record after dealing with the second major clubhouse outbreak of coronavirus since the game’s reboot. It remains unclear how/when/if the Cardinals will be able to make up the missed games.

Obviously, containing the virus is priority A through Z right now for the Cardinals, who released the names of 8 players who have tested positive for COVID-19. They have the benefit of the Marlins’ experience from earlier this season, but there’s no tried-and-true approach to handling an internal outbreak of this scale. There are, of course, protocols in place, but the nature of COVID-19 leaves a great deal of general uncertainty.

The Pirates will get a couple of days off after facing a scare of a different sort in their game with the Tigers today. Phillip Evans and Gregory Polanco collided on a pop fly in four territory resulting in Evans leaving the game on a stretcher, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. It was described as a scary scene, and we will update you on Evans’ condition with a full post as more information about his current status is revealed. Polanco stayed in the game.

As of right now, it does appear that the Pirates (and Cardinals) will have the next couple of days off. The Pirates were scheduled to be in St. Louis on Monday night to begin a three-game series.

Cardinals-Cubs Series Postponed Due To Additional Covid-19 Positive(s)

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7:27pm: Outfielder Austin Dean, righty Ryan Helsley and a staff member tested positive, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes.

5:04pm: MLB will postpone this weekend’s Cards-Cubs series, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

12:25pm: Major League Baseball has officially announced that tonight’s game is postponed due to one additional positive test. However, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that there’s “concern” of a second positive test beyond the one the league has confirmed. That could point to some yet-inconclusive results and also explain the discrepancy between the earlier reporting on the number of positive tests. Clarity on the matter should come later today.

12:10pm: MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets that there was only one new positive test. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link) and a few others have heard the same, though SportsGrid’s Craig Mish tweets that there were two new positives. Whatever the exact number is determined to be, there figures to be additional testing and contact tracing performed before the league decides on the remainder of the Cubs/Cards series. The Cardinals had already been aiming to play 55 games in a span of 52 days, so the postponement of tonight’s game further adds to a notable scheduling challenge.

12:02pm: Tonight’s Cardinals game against the Cubs has been postponed due to new positive Covid-19 test(s) within the Cardinals organization, The Athletic’s Mark Saxon reports (via Twitter). The new positives dash the Cardinals’ hopes of getting back to the field for the first time since July 29. The St. Louis organization had seven players and several staff members test positive over the course of several days beginning last Friday.

This will be the first schedule interruption for the first-place Cubs, and as has continually been the case, there are potential broad-reaching implications beyond the current series. Future opponents could be impacted — the Cards are set to begin a series against the Pirates on Monday — and depending on the outcome of the remainder of this series, the Cubs could now find themselves with multiple doubleheaders added to the schedule.

The Cardinals announced this week that catcher Yadier Molina, pitchers Junior Fernandez and Kodi Whitley, and infielders Paul DeJong, Edmundo Sosa and Rangel Ravelo had all tested positive for Covid-19. All but Ravelo were placed on the injured list the following day, as was right-hander Carlos Martinez.

Latest On Dylan Carlson

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The Cardinals were a playoff team a season ago, but they’re off to a slow start in a coronavirus-delayed year and their offense has been lacking during their 2-3 opening. Top prospect Dylan Carlson may be able to help the Cards overcome their woes at the plate, but they’re not eager to promote the 21-year-old yet, according to manager Mike Shildt (via Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

While St. Louis is “comfortable and confident what Dylan can do,” the club’s belief is that “there’s not a need for Dylan at the moment,” per Shildt. President of baseball operations John Mozeliak added the Cardinals aren’t ready to tab Carlson because he may not be in line for “a true opportunity” at his point.

The Cardinals have largely gone with a Tyler O’Neill–Harrison Bader–Dexter Fowler alignment in the outfield in the handful of games they’ve been able to play. Lane Thomas is also in the mix, though he has only totaled four plate appearances this year. O’Neill and Fowler have posted above-average production across larger sample sizes, but Bader has struggled. So has designated hitter Matt Carpenter, who’s in line for an infield role with shortstop Paul DeJong on the shelf because of a positive coronavirus test. There could be room for Carlson in the Cardinals’ lineup sometime soon, then, especially considering that promoting him wouldn’t burn a year of service time. However, it appears his first major league call-up will have to wait for at least a little while longer.

Whenever it arrives, Carlson’s MLB debut should draw plenty of attention. A former first-round pick (No. 33 in 2016), the switch-hitting Carlson has continued to boost his stock since the Cardinals added him to their system. Carlson raked between Double-A and Triple-A last year, when he slashed .292/.372/.542 with 62 extra-base hits (28 doubles, 26 home runs, eight triples) and 20 steals over 562 plate appearances, and brings experience at every outfield position.

Kwang Hyun Kim Moves Into Cardinals Rotation

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The Cardinals will utilize lefty Kwang Hyun Kim in the rotation, manager Mike Shildt tells reporters including Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).

Kim, 32, had been slotted into the relief unit after battling for a starting job in camp. He has made just one relief appearance, picking up a save but allowing an earned run on two hits.

The southpaw will step into the rotation spot left when Carlos Martinez recently hit the injured list. Whether Kim can hang onto a rotation job will depend upon many factors, with his performance and the duration of Martinez’s absence likely chief among them.

Kim, a long-time Korea Baseball Organization standout, joined the Redbirds over the offseason. He’s earning at a $4MM rate this year and is guaranteed the same in 2021, with an annual $1.5MM incentive package also available.

Cardinals Purchase Contracts Of Max Schrock, Roel Ramirez

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The Cardinals announced four new additions to the active roster. Two of those players, infielder Max Schrock and righty Roel Ramirez, first had to be selected to the 40-man roster. Also coming up are righty Alex Reyes and southpaw Genesis Cabrera.

Each of these moves, excepting that of Ramirez, was already known to be in the works. Some had hoped the team was also plotting the arrival of top prospect Dylan Carlson, but it seems that’ll have to wait a while longer.

Ramirez, 25, came to the Cards with Cabrera in the Tommy Pham swap. He worked to a 4.78 ERA in 75 1/3 upper-minors innings last year, carrying 10.2 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. Ramirez went on to have a nice run in the Arizona Fall League, allowing only three earned runs with a 16:3 K/BB ratio over 13 1/3 frames.

Latest On Cardinals’ Potential Roster Additions

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The Cardinals placed six players on the injured list yesterday following the team’s Covid-19 outbreak, and they’ll likely be adding infielder Rangel Ravelo to the IL as well. The team confirmed yesterday that he is also among the current players to have tested positive (but did not formally place him on the injured list).

That drops the Cardinals’ roster to 23 players, meaning they’ll still need to make five additions between now and Friday. (Rosters reduce from 30 to 28 players for the remainder of the season tomorrow.) To this point, only one spot has been formally filled: infielder/outfielder Brad Miller was activated from the injured list yesterday. Four more players will still need to be added to the roster between now and Friday.

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch runs through many of the possibilities, reporting within his morning column that infielder Max Schrock will likely be selected to the active roster. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News points out on Twitter that lefty Genesis Cabrera has already revealed via Instagram that he’s in St. Louis, so he’ll fill another of the spots. Alex Reyes will also be called up, per Goold. Jones adds that Cabrera and Reyes are likely to be the only two pitchers added to the roster. Those additions have not yet been announced by the club.

The Cards’ final open roster spot figures to be of particular intrigue among fans — and with good reason. Top prospect Dylan Carlson is among the names available within the 60-man player pool for St. Louis, and at this point in the season, the Cardinals have already delayed his path to free agency by a year. He’d need to be added to the 40-man roster, but the team can easily accommodate some additions due to the fact that players on the Covid-19 injured list don’t count against the 40-man.

Carlson has been widely expected to debut at some point in 2020, and considering that the Cardinals were struggling to score runs even before losing Paul DeJong and Yadier Molina, there is (on paper, at least) some extra incentive to get his bat into the lineup. It’s a small sample, clearly, but St. Louis has batted just .217/.281/.382 as a team through five games. Carlson, meanwhile, raked at a .292/.372/.542 clip with 26 homers, 28 doubles, eight triples and 20 steals in 562 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A last year.

Jones tweets that the final spot could well come down to Carlson, fellow outfielder Justin Williams and infield prospect Elehuris Montero. Both Williams and Montero have been ranked among the organization’s top 20 or so farmhands for the past couple seasons, though neither has generated the expectations associated with Carlson, who entered the season as a consensus Top 25 league-wide prospect. It’d be the first real look in the Majors for any of that trio, and all three would be controllable all the way through the 2026 season should the stick in the Majors following their promotion. Carlson and Montero have yet to appear in the big leagues, while Williams received just a single plate appearance with the 2018 Rays.

No New Positive COVID-19 Tests For Marlins, Cardinals

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8:39pm: The Cardinals have been cleared to travel and return to the field, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets. They’re in line to resume their season Friday.

10:12am: There was finally some good news on the coronavirus front, with Jon Heyman of MLB Network reporting (Twitter links) the latest test results from two hard-hit teams. Neither the Marlins nor the Cardinals registered any new positive tests for COVID-19.

That means that the Marlins will finally get back to action this evening. That had been the expectation, but the team still needed to log another day without any new positive coronavirus tests.

The Marlins ultimately had 18 players test positive, gutting their active roster. They’ll hope there isn’t another infection lurking in the clubhouse while returning to action with an entirely different roster.

As for the Cards, who had seven positive player tests (among others in the organization), they’re still waiting anxiously in a hotel in Milwaukee. It’ll take another clean set of tests before the team can get back to the playing field, but that’s now a distinct near-term possibility.

As Heyman notes, the St. Louis club could resume play on Friday. That would give the league a full 15-game slate … if nothing goes askew in the meantime.

Cardinals Place Yadier Molina, Paul DeJong, Carlos Martinez On Injured List

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4:00pm: Molina, DeJong, Sosa, Fernandez, Whitley and Carlos Martinez have all been placed on the injured list, the Cardinals announced. Veteran infielder Brad Miller, meanwhile, has been activated from the IL. Corresponding roster moves will be announced in the coming days, per the club.

The Cardinals also announced that minor league hitting coordinator Russ Steinhorn, who has been working at the team’s alternate training site, will join the Major League coaching staff. Assistant minor league hitting coordinator Joey Hawkins will head to the alternate site in his place.

10:50am: Mainstay Cardinals backstop Yadier Molina announced today that he is among the players that has tested positive for COVID-19. Starting shortstop Paul DeJong is also among the players to test positive.

The team further announced (with the players’ approval) that infielders Edmundo Sosa and Rangel Ravelo and pitchers Junior Fernandez and Kodi Whitley have been infected with the coronavirus. That would appear to leave one additional player unidentified based upon prior indications of seven positive tests.

Each of these players will obviously be sidelined while recovering, which will hopefully occur in short order. They’ll have to test negative twice before being allowed to resume baseball activities with the organization. Depending upon the amount of time that takes, each player could potentially require some training time before rejoining the active roster.

The most important thing here, obviously, is the health of the players involved and those that have potentially come into contact with them. Based upon recent testing results, the team is hopeful that the spread has been limited to these players and the various staff members that have already tested positive.

From a baseball standpoint, it’s obviously a significant blow to the team’s roster. The 38-year-old Molina has long carried a huge burden behind the dish. DeJong is a high-quality younger player. While the other players had lesser roles, they’re all part of the depth picture. And Whitley seemed primed to emerge as a potentially important part of the club’s bullpen.

Andrew Knizner and veteran Matt Wieters will presumably share duties at the catching position. Filling the void at short could prove tricky, particularly with all three infielders departing the roster at the same moment. There’s no clear option in the 60-man player pool. Utility candidate Max Schrock lacks substantial experience at short. Elehuris Montero and Nolan Gorman are young infielders with talent, but they’re still fairly raw and are both limited to third base.

MLB To Cancel Field Of Dreams Game

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Major League Baseball has decided to cancel the “Field of Dreams Game” it had previously scheduled for August 13. The Cardinals and White Sox were supposed to square off in the famed Iowa cornfield.

The Cardinals are currently waiting to see just how bad an internal COVID-19 outbreak turns out to be. No matter how far it has spread, a significant portion of the team will be sidelined for some time and the organization will be forced to scramble to fill out a club.

While that would seem at first glance to be a rather important factor in the decision, Rosenthal says that wasn’t the driving force. Rather, it’s “a logistical problem,” per the report. It’s not entirely clear why those considerations are only now counseling in favor of cancellation, but it was undoubtedly a tricky undertaking even before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

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