McAdam: COVID-19 hits Red Sox camp, sidelining Matt Barnes and sending others to quarantine

Five days before the start of the regular season, the Red Sox were thrown into chaos Saturday morning with the news that reliever Matt Barnes tested positive for COVID-19, ruling him out for the start of the year and sending the staff into uncertainty.

Matt Andriese, who had been scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, was scratched from that assignment and is quarantine, having been identified, through contact tracing, as someone who had been in close contact with Barnes recently. There is at least one other member of the organization who has been ordered to stay away from camp, though he was unidentified by the club.

According to Alex Cora, Barnes was tested Thursday night and Cora received news of the positive result early Saturday morning. Barnes is, to date, asymptomatic. In accordance with MLB protocol, Barnes could be away from the team for up to 10 days.

"Everything happened this morning,'' said Cora, "so we're still scrambling, as far as what we're going to do. We know how we're going to attack this, obviously. There's some guidelines and the organization is great on stuff like that. It's unfortunate, but it's the world we're living in and we have to make adjustments.

"It's unfortunate. It's something that just happened ... It's a fire drill now.''



Barnes had been in competition with Adam Ottavino for the job of closer, a role that Ottavino will now occupy, if only by default, for the start of the season.

"I don't want to get into details,'' said Cora, "but there's a chance that some of the guys who are in contact tracing might be able to on the Opening Day roster; some of them won't. We just have to get more information throughout the day and obviously communicate with MLB and go from there.''

Cora emphasized that, after discussions with team medical director Dr. Larry Ronan, the Sox have been compliant when it comes to health and safety protocols.

"We've been going over what we did throughout camp,'' Cora said, "and it's nobody's fault. That's the first thing. (The players) have been very responsible. We've been praising them throughout camp. It just happened.''

The Sox conducted rapid testing of the players who were scheduled to travel to Bradenton to play the Pittsburgh Pirates Saturday. The remainder of the players in camp were set to undergo testing later in the day. The game with the Pirates were shortened to seven innings, due to the unavailability of some Red Sox pitchers.

Still, the news was unsettling -- especially given the timing and the proximity of the start of the season.

"You don't want to hear this,'' said Cora. "You start thinking about what if something else happens? Where are we going to be in a few days? It's not comfortable but at the same time, if we keep doing the things we should be doing, the hope is we're going to be fine as a group. It's just one isolated incident. Let's hope that's the case. But it's a different mood, to be honest with you. It's not a good feeling, to be honest with you.

"But we (have) trust in the process, trust in our medical staff, trust in the testing system. We should be OK.''

Cora said if he or members of the coaching staff were identified as high risk for exposure to Barnes, the Sox would be covered with others members of the organization in camp.

"My main concern is the players,'' he said, "and right now, it's not the best morning for us. But knowing that we're doing everything possible and (the fact that) we've been doing everything possible throughout the days to be in a good spot. Now, we're not but we should be OK in the upcoming days. That's the hope, obviously.''

Players wear devices that measure their exposure to others, the use of which could help the Red Sox avoid "something bigger'' -- i.e. a full-blown outbreak. The staff also thoroughly interviewed Barnes, asking him to recount his movements and contact with others.

With the regular season just days away and Barnes (and potentially Andriese) unavailable, the Red Sox could be scrambling to construct their nine-man bullpen.

Until Saturday's news broke, it appeared as though three relievers -- Austin Brice, Phillips Valdez and Colten Brewer -- were competing for two spots. Now, in theory, the Sox could have all three on the Opening Day roster.

Additionally, in recent days, a number of veteran relivers have either been released or chosen to opt out of deals, making them free agents. That list includes Steve Cishek, Tommy Hunter and Hector Rendon.