That set into motion a hectic pregame sequence before Thursday’s noon game against the Red Sox with the Twins sitting in limbo, some in isolation, as they awaited further results. The Twins finally were able to rest easy after subsequent testing.
It was a false positive and eventually everyone in their group was cleared. All were negative.
“It was a difficult morning only because there’s uncertainty,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “… When you get test results that are not exactly what you’re looking to see and then we have an entire process to go through when that happens, you end up just kind of sitting and waiting.”
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There’s heightened awareness and increased testing in the Twins’ clubhouse now that COVID-19 has entered their environment as they try to make sure that there is no spread of the virus. While other players have tested positive for the virus, it hasn’t been in-season. Willians Astudillo, Miguel Sano and J.A. Happ are among those who have tested positive during intake testing.
“With a COVID positive in our clubhouse this week, there’s going to be heightened scrutiny,” Baldelli said. “There’s going to be extra testing. To be honest, is it easy to just completely relax? No. Actually you can’t completely relax. You have to stay quite vigilant and aware of everything that you’re doing at all times.”
Most of the group received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine following last Thursday’s game, but they are not yet two weeks removed from that — the amount of time it takes to receive the full protection that the shot provides.
“We need to get through this next week or two and make sure that we don’t have anything mushrooming up from what’s been happening this week,” Baldelli said.
Twins center fielder Byron Buxton sat for the third straight game on Thursday, dealing with a sore hamstring. Buxton missed both games of the Twins’ doubleheader on Wednesday, and Baldelli said at the time that Buxton had been held out of the second game “out of cautiousness.”
Buxton has been the Twins’ hottest hitter this season, entering Thursday hitting .469 with a .528 on-base percentage, 1.094 slugging percentage and five home runs in his nine games.
“We were giving Buck another day,” Baldelli said after Thursday’s game. “We’re going to continue to assess him and see if he’s going to be ready in the next day or two.”
The Twins recalled pitcher Shaun Anderson from the alternate training site on Thursday morning, following 14 innings of baseball a day earlier, to bring in a fresh arm. They optioned him after the game.
Baldelli announced after the game that lefty Lewis Thorpe would make a spot start on Friday in Anaheim. He is expected to take Anderson’s roster spot.
To bring in Anderson, relief pitcher Cody Stashak, who led the team with six appearances, was optioned to the alternate training site. Stashak had appeared in half the team’s games entering the day and had given up four runs in his five innings pitched.
“Shak has pitched a lot. Honestly, the three of four that we just did with him, it’s the first time I believe we’ve ever done that with him,” Baldelli said. “He responded pretty well. He was going to be down for a little while.”
Twins pitchers Matt Shoemaker and J.A. Happ will start the final two games in Anaheim after Thorpe. … The Twins’ taxi squad for the road trip will include Thorpe, Brent Rooker, Devin Smeltzer, Tomás Telis and Luke Farrell. … The Twins and Red Sox wore “42” jerseys for Jackie Robinson Day on Thursday at Target Field.
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Twins notebook: Twins all clear after false positive Thursday morning - Pine Journal
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