The Atlanta Braves, hours before their opening day game against the New York Mets, are giving us an example of how playing baseball during a pandemic can quickly turn chaotic.
Both Braves catchers, Tyler Flowers and Travis d'Arnaud, won’t be available to play Friday after showing coronavirus symptoms. Mark Bowman of MLB.com says both players tested negative but are back in Atlanta.
The Braves, instead, summoned two catchers from their taxi squad:
While things like this are to be expected — and exactly the reason MLB teams have these so-called taxi squads of minor league players nearby — it’s not exactly what teams want to happen hours before the first pitch of their season.