The Washington Nationals drew a lot of scrutiny from Major League Baseball over their decision to cancel Monday’s workout, and the team’s general manager recently shined some light into why.
It was speculated that the Nationals may have had a few players, coaches or staffers test positive, which they were looking to keep under wraps, but apparently, that’s not the case.
Rizzo was simply looking out for his players, as well as others with the team, as he didn’t really feel it was necessary to trot them out on the field, and possibly risk coronavirus infection. The team still hadn’t received the results of recent COVID-19 tests, and Rizzo didn’t feel comfortable potentially jeopardizing the health of his guys.
“We’re going to see the results in a timely fashion,” Rizzo told reporters, via NBC Sports Washington. “That’s all we need. That’s what we have to have to ensure our players are protected. I’m the caretaker for these guys. These are my guys. Their families are my family. The staff is my staff. I couldn’t live with myself if we went on haphazardly and didn’t abide by the rules that are in their best interest.
“We’re confident that after some early hiccups that the procedure is going to work smoother, get a little rhythm going and hopefully that we can turn around these tests then make prudent decisions about player health in our inner circle. But having the information makes that possible.”
The league likely doesn’t want other MLB teams following suit, which is why they gave the Nationals some heat over the team’s decision. However, we completely understand why Rizzo and Co. went that route, and the Nationals players are likely happy with him for doing so.