OAKLAND, Calif. – The Minnesota Twins have been released for travel and are continuing plans for a double-header Tuesday in Oakland, after their season was interrupted by concerns about the coronavirus.
The Twins have not played since Friday to enable virus testing and contact detection, as the club has had at least four positive coronavirus tests in the past week.
Kyle Garlick, another unnamed Twins player and teammate, tested positive in the two days before the postponement against the English, manager Rocco Baldelli said at the weekend. Shortstop Andrelton Simmons has yet to make the trip to Anaheim after testing positive early in the week.
Games between the twins and the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim were postponed Saturday and Sunday, and Monday’s series opener in Oakland was also postponed. The match will be put together as part of Tuesday’s double header.
Minnesota starts Matt Shoemaker in Game 1 and Jose Berrios in Game 2 of the straight doubles, and then Kenta Maeda on Wednesday. The A’s have not yet announced likely beginners.
Six MLB games have been postponed this year due to the virus, including a three-season series that the Nationals and Mets opened after Washington’s coronavirus problems.
Last year, 45 matches in the regular season were postponed for virus-related reasons, but only two – between St. Louis and Detroit – were not made up.