Astros place five players on COVID-19 injured list
Even with players being partially vaccinated, COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on baseball and sports in general.
Prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Tigers, the Astros placed five players on the COVID-19 injured list: José Altuve, Yordan Álvarez, Alex Bregman, Robel García, and Martín Maldonado. Maldonado pinch-hit for Altuve in the ninth inning of Houston’s 8-2 loss to the Astros on Tuesday night, though GM James Click said Wednesday that the odd move and the placement of Altuve on the IL for health and safety protocol reasons were unrelated.
Astros place Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Robel Garcia, Martin Maldonado in IL
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) April 14, 2021
IF Taylor Jones, C Garrett Stubbs and IF Abraham Toro have been recalled; IF Alex De Goti, and OF Ronnie Dawson have been selected to the Major League roster
They're on there as a result of the health and safety protocols, Click said.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) April 14, 2021
The Astros began receiving COVID-19 vaccines, and manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday that all five players placed on the IL had received at least one vaccine shot. But teams must reach a threshold of 85% of the traveling party being fully vaccinated — that includes a two-week waiting period after the first Johnson & Johnson shot or after the second Moderna or Pfizer shot — before protocols can be relaxed and vaccinated players no longer have to quarantine when they’re deemed to be a close contact of someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus.
The five players who went on the #Astros injured list all had received at least one Covid shot, manager Dusty Baker says.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) April 14, 2021
It appears likely that at least some of these placements are strictly due to contact tracing, as Click said there was no health and safety reason not to play Wednesday’s game, and considering the partially vaccinated status of the Astros players — as well as Álvarez already having dealt with COVID last season — this is hopefully a case where it won’t develop into a legitimate outbreak.