DENVER – San Diego star Fernando Tatis Jr. and outfielder Wil Myers have tested positive for COVID-19 while first baseman Eric Hosmer and two backups are now out for contact tracing, leaving the Padres shorthanded at Coors Field.
Padres manager Jayce Tingler said he hoped the fallout from the virus would stop and anticipated San Diego could play a doubleheader as scheduled Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies.
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Hosmer and Myers both were pulled out in the middle of the Padres' 8-1 win over the Rockies on Tuesday night.
“Wil tested positive for COVID and that’s why he had to leave the game," Tingler said.
Hosmer exited in accordance with Major League Baseball's health and safety protocols.
“Obviously it’s not ideal but I want to give credit to our guys tonight. We had a lot of hectic things going on. We had a short bench and everybody stepped up and filled in," Tingler said.
The Padres also were missing infielder-outfielders Jurickson Profar and Jorge Mateo.
Tingler said he learned of Tatis’ positive test in a phone call late Monday night. Tingler said the 22-year-old shortstop was put on the injured list and was symptom-free at the moment.
There was no exact timetable for Tatis' return.
“Naturally, you’re punched in the stomach a little bit,” Tingler said before the game. “You first of all want to make sure, certainly for Tatis in this situation, is he feeling OK? And it was good to kind of see him over Facetime, and he’s feeling well. I mean he is crushed, he’s crushed inside, mentally, things like that.
“At the same time, for our guys here, we have a chance to pick him up. We’ve got a chance to pick it up up a little bit. We’re coming off a fairly decent offensive game. Look, it’s a blow, but we’ve got the guys. It’s not going to be one guy having to carry a lot of things. It’s going to be a lot of guys chipping in and contributing," he said.
Tatis spent time on the injured list last month with inflammation in his left shoulder. He leads the Padres with nine homers and 23 runs.
Tatis has flourished on the road this season, hitting .385 with six homers and 10 RBIS. His 1.302 OPS on the road is the second-best mark in the majors of any player with at least 40 plate appearances, trailing only Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (1.364).
“It is what it is,” Myers said before the game, prior to his positive test result. “We’re in a situation where things are going on right now but we’ll just adapt and keep going. We’ve got three new guys in here today and we’re ready for the game today.”
Profar has reached base safely in eight of his last 10 games. He is hitting .234 this season with one homer.
Mateo was called upon as a pinch hitter in the ninth Sunday in San Francisco. He had an RBI double in San Diego's 11-1 win.
He's hitting .400 over his last six games.
San Diego recalled infielder/outfielder Tucupita Marcano and right-hander Nabil Crismatt from Triple-A El Paso and selected the contract of outfielder John Andreoli to the 40-man roster.
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