Four-time All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman is one of four members of the Atlanta Braves to test positive for the coronavirus, manager Brian Snitker announced Saturday.
Relief pitchers Will Smith and Touki Toussaint as well as shortstop Pete Kozma have all tested positive for COVID-19, per Snitker.
Snitker said the 30-year-old Freeman is battling a fever and it could be “a while” before he returns. Freeman batted .295 last season while recording career highs in homers (38) and RBIs (121).
Smith and Toussaint are asymptomatic while Kozma, who is a member of the club’s satellite roster, has experienced symptoms.
Under MLB protocol, no team can release the names of players who test positive unless they’re given expressed permission by the player.
Smith, who turns 31 on July 10, posted a 6-0 record with a 2.76 ERA and 34 saves in 63 appearances last season with the San Francisco Giants. He made the All-Star team for the first time.
Toussaint, 24, sported a 4-0 mark with a 5.62 ERA in 24 appearances last season with the Braves.
Kozma, 32, did not play in the majors in 2019. He has suited up for 341 career games with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers.
–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)
The San Francisco Giants will look to further close the gap in their all-time rivalry with the visiting Oakland Athletics when they seek a second straight win Wednesday night in…
The Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Angels will play the third game of their four-game series Wednesday night in Anaheim, Calif., as the Guardians try to rediscover their offense. Cleveland’s…
The Los Angeles Kings are playoff-bound for the first time since the 2017-18 season. The Kings (43-27-10, 96 points) punched their postseason ticket Tuesday night when Dallas defeated Vegas in…
Guardians, slumping Franmil Reyes take on Shohei Ohtani’s Angels
Playoff-bound Kings seek to keep Kraken reeling
Six-man rotation kicks in as Astros, Cristian Javier face Rangers
Jason Robertson, Stars can lock up playoff berth vs. Coyotes