McAdam: As other MLB teams deal with inadequate testing procedures, Red Sox have had far fewer issues

Across Major League Baseball on the holiday weekend and into Monday, testing for COVID-19 proved highly problematic. Two teams canceled workouts Sunday and two more followed Monday - unsure about whether they were putting their players and staff members in harm's way.

The cancellations seemed to, for a time at least, call into question whether it's indeed feasible -- or even wise -- for MLB to get the 2020 season in.

At Fenway Park, however, there have been far fewer hiccups to date. The Sox have had at least two positive tests pop up, and a couple of others are pending. But there's been no widespread issues with obtaining timely test results. Nor have the Red Sox faced a situation as the Los Angeles Angels did, when testing personnel failed to show up at the ballpark as scheduled.

In general terms, Red Sox players have been encouraged by the health and safety protocols that have been put in place by the organization. And the chaos that has enveloped other training camps hasn't, to date, hit Fenway. And the players surveyed praised the Red Sox for taking the necessary steps to provide a safe working environment.

"Obviously, there's a lot of uncertainty right now,'' said veteran first baseman Mitch Moreland. "But I'm hoping we get to finish the season, for sure. It seems like the Red Sox have gone out of the way to do everything they can to put us in a good situation. We've got hand sanitizer, masks and gloves everywhere. I think we're in a good spot here. We just have to be smart about it and try to go about it the right way.''



"I think, for the most part, we've had a great set-up,'' said Jackie Bradley Jr. "Our organization has a done a great job of doing the best they can in order to put us in a position to hopefully move forward.''

But Bradley added that, even though the Red Sox haven't experienced some of the difficulties experienced elsewhere, he isn't entirely convinced that playing the season will be possible.

"Honestly, I think right now, from my vantage point, I don't know,'' he said, "And I'm not even going to pretend like I know the answers. It's definitely something that will get better. Hopefully, it gets better in order for everyone to do their job in a healthy fashion. It's something we think about. Me personally, I'm not fearful. But I think you should have a respect and know that you should be cautious.''

For now, the Sox consider themselves fortunate that they haven't experienced some of problems that have impacted teams like the Angels, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros and the Oakland A's.

"Here so far, we've had things that have gone smoothly,'' said manager Ron Roenicke, "We haven't had those issues. I don't know exactly what 's going on with other teams. But right now for us, things are going well. We're expecting to have issues. We haven't had them so far. They're happy campers so far and that's how we wasn't to keep them.''

As the Sox plan their daily workouts in two locations -- some players at Fenway, others nearby at Boston College -- Roenicke and bench coach Jerry Narron have to be ready to adjust on the fly in the event of testing/intake derailments or weather issues.

"We go through with a Plan A and Plan B,'' said Roenicke. "We're planning for different things that can come up -- whether it's getting testing back, whether rain happens. We have to plan for other things because we know that in three weeks, things aren't going to go smoothly every day. With all the planning that goes into it and having an audible for pretty much every day, hopefully we've got it covered in most cases.''

Assuming the season gets underway, potential roadblocks will still be present. Players will need to observe socially distancing guidelines at the ballpark and on the road, and it may require some veteran players to assert themselves to make sure that the entire team is following the in-place protocols.

"I don't know right now if that even needs to be touched on,'' said Moreland, who is acknowledged as one of the team's leaders. "I think everybody understands how serious the situation is and how smart we're going to have to be. I don't know. I don't have the answer for you there. But it's definitely going to be tougher.''