Carlos Osorio/Associated Press
The Philadelphia Phillies placed four gamers on the injured list Wednesday night in fair a small mysterious vogue.
The injuries for the four gamers—infielder Scott Kingery and pitchers Hector Neris, Ranger Suarez and Tommy Hunter—weren’t specified by the team, consistent with the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). And supervisor Joe Girardi did now not provide any additional clarification.
“What I will portray you is that they’re on the injured list, and that is the reason about all I will portray you,” he acknowledged. “MLB has given protocols on easy how to address it. I attach no longer want a timetable on these gamers. I will no longer in actual fact solution that question. As rapidly as I get an solution, I will give it to you.”
In accordance with Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies “did now not request the league to put up the transactions on a public web enviornment” and “did now not present the agents of the four gamers relating to the roster strikes.” And one participant reportedly may maybe moreover return to the active roster by this weekend.
So what exactly is taking place?
Gelb reported that the Phillies invoked the “outbreak” clause MLB has put into put because of of the COVID-19 pandemic. That reads:
“Within the occasion that a Membership experiences a serious kind of COVID-19 Associated IL placements at the Alternate Practicing Location at someone time (i.e., three or extra gamers), and the Membership chooses to substitute these gamers from within the Membership’s group, MLB reserves essentially the most attention-grabbing to permit that Membership to retract away these substitute gamers from the Membership Player Pool without requiring a originate.”
As Gelb eminent, the Phillies reportedly considered the “outbreak” clause as of mission to add additional catchers to their 60-man roster without having to doubtlessly originate them down the road, since a participant will be eradicated without originate or trade if “he’s replacing any individual on the COVID-19 list.”
“Within the approaching days, most likely as early as this day, we’ll doubtlessly personal some modifications to the roster, having to conclude with definite gamers being placed on the COVID list,” GM Matt Klentak acknowledged Monday, most likely foreshadowing the roster strikes.
So whereas the team and gamers have not officially or publicly launched that they tested sure for the coronavirus—and Predominant League Baseball received’t assemble such an announcement—it appears to be like that can perchance well moreover were what came about.
