Through the process of elimination by injuries, opt-outs and positive cases of COVID-19, the Pirates should only have to make a few more cuts to get their roster down to 30 players for opening day on July 24.
But with the absences of Keone Kela and Gregory Polanco from Pirates camp, there are still serious questions about how that roster will be utilized. Who will close, and who will play right field?
On Friday, Derek Shelton was given permission by Polanco to share that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He had been working out with the team during summer camp at PNC Park through July 13, but had not attended any practices since Tuesday. We found out why Friday.
“I cannot speak highly enough about how Gregory went about it,” Shelton said during a Zoom call Friday. “He protected his teammates because he put himself in a conversation where you let us know through the protocols and the testing. He was not around anybody else. And because of that, with getting a test and finding out that that he was positive, I think it speaks to the testament of everything that we’ve talked about of how good a teammate he is.
“Unfortunately, he has tested positive, but I think this is exemplary in terms of how you handle it and, in terms of being a teammate and and not putting himself around other guys.”
On Thursday night, the Pirates finally moved Kela to the 10-day injured list for an undisclosed reason. He has not reached the field yet during summer camp. Even if he is able to now, with the start of the regular season less than a week away, it would be unlikely he could be fully prepared for the start of the regular season after being isolated in a hotel room for weeks.
To continue reading, log into your account: