By now, everyone is aware that the Pirates’ anointed closer, Keone Kela, missed the first full week of workouts. And, at least based on what new manager Derek Shelton has been saying, no one is too worked up about it.
I can understand that; although the reason for Kela’s absence hasn’t been made known, one might assume that it’s more illness-related than injury-related. That makes sense; players must give permission for clubs to announce if they’ve tested positive for COVID-19, and it’s understandable if a player would rather keep that information under wraps.
The club must feel that even if Kela must miss a few more days, he still has enough time to get ready to close games by the time the Pirates open the season on July 24 in St.