Elephant Rumblings: A’s finally begin full workouts after testing delays

Scott Strazzante/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

MLB news roundup

Good morning, Athletics Nation!

The Oakland A’s got a late start to 2020 Summer Camp due to a delay in their coronavirus testing, but the team was finally able to hold a full-squad workout at the Coliseum Monday evening.

The A’s got their results at 6:41 p.m., reports Susan Slusser of the S.F. Chronicle, and after that the position players were cleared to take the field — most pitchers and catchers had already been able to begin training on Saturday. General manager David Forst wasn’t at liberty to specify whether any players didn’t clear the screening process, including pitchers Mike Fiers and Jesus Luzardo, whose status had been “pending” over the weekend.

For what it’s worth, photos posted by the team showed stars Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Marcus Semien, and Khris Davis on the field, implying that they all cleared their testing.

Several teams saw similar delays that postponed their ability to begin workouts, including the Angels, Astros, and Nationals, with the latter two canceling Monday sessions entirely. The A’s were frustrated by the early hitch in the process, but general manager David Forst said they’re ready to move on.

MLB responded to the delay issues in a statement, pointing out the size and scope of the intake process and the fact that over 95% of it went great. However, they do recognize the problem and are “actively pursuing an additional medical lab site to increase the speed and efficiency of test processing and reporting,” reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Still, A’s reliever Jake Diekman is unimpressed with the league’s performance in regard to testing so far, sapping his confidence in the whole idea of a 2020 season. Via Slusser:

“We knew there would be hiccups, but we didn’t know there would be hiccups with the actual test results because that’s basically the No. 1 priority. Everything else is secondary. I feel like deep down, every player has it in the back of their mind that this is all going to fall apart.

“I honestly feel like this is just going to get shut down in a week, or everyone is going to opt out.”

The A’s season is set to open on July 24, giving them a little over two weeks to prepare, so every day counts. Oakland is now a step behind many other teams who already got to begin training over the last few days, and they’ll have to overcome that disadvantage.

Fortunately, they have now gotten started. Baseball is back at the Coliseum, for now.

Here are today’s links.

A’s Coverage:

• Slusser: A’s at-risk reliever Jake Diekman blasts delays with MLB test results ($)
• Hickey: A Long Last, Athletics Fully Back on Coliseum Turf as Workouts Rev Up
• Hickey: Having Temporarily Become His Own Coach, Athletics’ Manaea Continues to Experiment
• Kawahara: A’s position players hit the field after delay in receiving test results ($)
• Kawahara: A’s Sean Manaea says he’ll consider wearing a mask while pitching ($)
• Kawahara: A’s 2020 schedule: Five things to watch ($)
• Gallegos: A’s take field for first full-squad workout
• Coffey: How home-field advantage could work in the A’s favor in revised 2020 schedule ($$$)
• Seamheads podcast: Melissa Lockard and Alex Coffey talk testing delays, A’s Summer Camp
• Hall: A’s new 2020 schedule announced
• Hall: A’s history (7/5): Rickey Henderson hits leadoff homers in both games of doubleheader

MLB News, & Interest:

• Killion: If MLB can’t handle coronavirus tests, how are games supposed to be played? ($)
• Rosenthal: How a two-team minor league may provide a last chance for players ($$$)
• Todd (roundup): Details On Potential 2-Team Nashville League
• Todd (roundup): Dombrowski, La Russa, Stewart Join Nashville Franchise Effort
• Buchanan: ‘I need to pitch this year’: A pandemic sits between Robbie Ray and free agency ($$$)
• Piecoro: Arizona Diamondbacks’ Robbie Ray: I ‘need to pitch this year’ with free agency looming
• Adler, Harrigan, and Simon: Here’s the key info on every team’s 2020 schedule
• Simon: New matchups to watch on 2020 schedule
• Petriello: Here’s who wins (and loses) with new schedule
• Langs and Kelly: 10 quirks of the 2020 schedule
• Clair: The 7 most extreme players in the game today
• Polishuk: American League Draft Signings: Picks & Bonus Info
• Athletic staff: Prospects in the Pool: Who you might see in 2020, and who’s further away ($$$)
• Today in Baseball History

Best of Twitter:

The latest positive test

Nick Markakis, on his decision to opt out of the 2020 season

Guyer retires

Breakdown of each team’s travel schedule in 2020

Nico has been suggesting this idea for a while, so it’s nice to see it be heard

Got more ideas? Contact the president himself!