Astros cancel Monday's workouts

HOUSTON ¨C The Astros will resume Summer Camp workouts Tuesday at Minute Maid Park and the University of Houston after canceling Monday¡¯s workouts because of a delay in receiving the results from COVID-19 testing that was performed last week.

The Astros began working out Friday at both sites in anticipation for the start of the regular season on July 24. The players made available to reporters after each workout spoke positively about the social distancing efforts and other health protocols they¡¯re being required to follow in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

About an hour before the team called off Monday¡¯s workout, veteran catcher Mart¨ªn Maldonado sent out a tweet describing the lag in testing results.

¡°Monday and still no results from Friday, we are getting tested today but haven¡¯t gotten the results form my last one,¡± he wrote.

In a statement, Astros general manager James Click said:

¡°The safety of our players and staff remains our top priority at the Astros. The team is still awaiting results from COVID-19 tests taken on Friday. Due to the delay in receiving these results, coupled with the contagious nature of the virus, we felt it was prudent to cancel today¡¯s workouts at Minute Maid Park and the University of Houston. Players and staff continue to participate fully in the screening and testing protocols while we await these results. Despite these delays over the holiday weekend, we¡¯re optimistic that this process will be ironed out and we¡¯ll be back on the field and ready to compete for a championship soon.¡±

Click said Friday the team had ¡°some additional positive tests¡± as the result of intake COVID-19 testing that was required prior to the start of camp. That was after the Astros had an unknown player test positive for the coronavirus two weeks ago. All personnel are having their temperature checked twice per day and undergoing a nasal swab or saliva test every two days for the rest of the season, per the rules set out by Major League Baseball.

¡°We feel safe and I think for us the first and most important thing is the safety of our players, coaches, fans and staff,¡± All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman said Sunday. ¡°I think we¡¯re doing a good job of making sure everyone is staying safe. Baseball-wise, we¡¯re going to be very good and we¡¯re looking forward to going out there and competing.¡±

Veteran outfielder Josh Reddick said Sunday that pulling off the season would be a ¡°tough task¡± and said the players would have to be diligent, especially when on the road.

¡°We have to police ourselves,¡± he said. ¡°Staying in our hotel room on the road, that¡¯s a big issue. Once you¡¯re on the road, you really get a lot of guys who get in a routine. Guys get used to going out and grabbing their morning coffee or going out and having a nice breakfast and that would be difficult. You have to stick to your room services and do your thing.

¡°One thing we have to be really good at is kind of maintaining ourselves from the public, and these masks are vital to how it works as well. Whether we¡¯re around each other or not, we still have a possibility of getting this thing as we¡¯ve seen for this Spring Training 2.0 so far around the league.¡±

The Astros are scheduled to open the 60-game regular season on July 23 or July 24. MLB announced Monday it would reveal the 2020 regular-season schedule at 5 p.m. CT on MLB Network.