Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images. Pictured: Max Scherzer
The Washington Nationals’ roster for Opening Day against the New York Mets is unknown 24 hours before the game due to a COVID-19 positive test.
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo revealed to reporters the team has a positive test with five people considered close contact. One of the close contacts is a staff member.
Rizzo said the team will “certainly” need to make roster changes ahead of Thursday’s game against the Nationals.
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The team will be without the infected player while the five others must enter into the league’s quarantine protocol.
With Jacob deGrom on the mound, the Mets were originally listed as -140 betting favorites against the Nationals and Max Scherzer. The Mets are now up to as high as -150 at some books, including DraftKings. The game was off the board at FanDuel at time of publish. The Mets are +128 at DraftKings with a total of 7 (under -118). The game is not seen as a risk of being postponed yet, as Rizzo said “we’re going to play tomorrow (Thursday) night.”
The player who tested positive was on the team’s charter flight, which could result in future positive tests impacting the schedule. After hosting New York, the Braves come to town before the Nationals travel to Los Angeles to play three games against the Dodgers.
This story will be updated as more information is known.
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