Last week Major League Baseball began what it’s calling Spring Training 2.0. Along with daily workouts, players also had to undergo daily health screenings. The COVID-19 testing halted workouts for several Atlanta Brave players.
Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Pete Kozma and Touki Toussaint all tested positive and were removed from the roster. According to Braves officials, Smith and Toussaint are said to be asymptomatic.
It’s a different story for Kozma and Freeman. Freeman’s wife Chelsea gave fans an update on Twitter saying, “Please know that this virus is real and if Freddie can get it, anyone else can too.”
COVID-19 is also responsible for the Braves losing outfielder and Young Harris College graduate Nick Markakis. On Monday, Markakis announced he would be opting out of the 2020 season due to coronavirus concerns. He credits a conversation with Freeman with helping him make his decision. “Just hearing him, the way he sounded on the phone, it was tough,” Markakis said Monday. “It was kind of eye-opening. With everything that’s going on, not just with baseball but all over the world, it makes you open your eyes.”
Markakis was the second player on the team to opt out as Felix Hernandez announced over the weekend that he wouldn’t play this year.
At the time of this article, the shortened MLB season is still set to take place with the Braves opening the season on the road against the Mets. The first game of the series will take place on Friday, July 24 with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m.