Several members of St. Louis Cardinals organization test positive for COVID-19

The St. Louis Cardinals received a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges of playing baseball amid a pandemic when at least five members of their traveling party returned positive test results for COVID-19 on Tuesday morning in Kansas City.

President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak said one player and four staff members had tested positive. Three of the staff members were part of the team’s medical staff; one works as a clubhouse attendant.

The player who tested positive requested not to be identified. Shortstop Edmundo Sosa was placed on the injured list without a designation, and the Cardinals official team Twitter account originally tweeted he had been placed on the COVID IL before deleting that post.

Juan Yepez was recalled from Memphis to take Sosa’s place on the active roster, but was not expected to reach Kansas City in time for Tuesday’s game.

The team declined to identify any of the staffers who tested positive.

MLB’s testing regimen for COVID-19 now requires tests only in the event of the manifestation of symptoms. The involved personnel alerted the team after traveling to Kansas City, and the staffers will be temporarily replaced by other team employees en route from St. Louis.

In order to be cleared to return to the active roster, a player must be asymptomatic for three days and return two negative test results. The timing of this morning’s positive test means that the player involved will not be able to rejoin the club on its current road trip, which continues to San Francisco from Kansas City.

Mozeliak said the club is still waiting on results from one test, but declined to comment on whether the test was for a player or staff member. All players on the active roster were seen in the clubhouse or on the field at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

Manager Oliver Marmol said Yadier Molina displayed some congestion symptoms as well, but tested negative for the coronavirus. Molina was in the team’s lineup initially but was later replaced by Andrew Knizner; extra rest was called for, in part, due to Wednesday’s first pitch being moved from 6:10 p.m. to 12:10 p.m. due to approaching weather.