© Vincent Carchietta | 2021 Aug 26
Giants starter Alex Wood has tested positive for COVID-19, and the Giants scratched Monday’s expected starter Johnny Cueto because he’s feeling cold and flu-like symptoms.
“He’s not feeling well at all,” manager Gabe Kapler said of Wood. “He is really broken up. Really upset, and I think he’s having an awesome season. Very disappointed that season is going to be interrupted for a bit.”
Players who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for at least 10 days, per MLB rules. Wood, who’s recorded his best ERA (4.08) since 2018, is not hospitalized, Kapler said.
“I think it’s a real concern,” Kapler said. “That doesn’t make us unique in any way. I know that a lot of clubs have dealt with the virus and dealt with it successfully. I also am confident that there are other clubs that are dealing with similar circumstances and challenges now. We’re just going to do our best under the circumstances. We’ve done a really good job this season of adapting and adjusting, and I don’t see this as anything other than a real challenge that is certainly a concern, but also something that we’re capable of navigating.”
Cueto tested negative for the coronavirus Monday, Kapler said, but this recent outbreak is worrisome. Just Sunday, following San Francisco’s 9-0 loss to the Braves, Kapler lauded the fact that his team had five healthy starters. That’s no longer the case.
Wood and Cueto hitting the IL affects SF’s rotation. Reliever José Álvarez will start Monday night in Cueto’s place, and the Giants haven’t made a decision on Wood’s upcoming start. The nature of the games in between will factor into that call.
Monday’s news comes as Donovan Solano, who tested positive last Thursday, remains quarantined in a New York hotel room. Solano’s last game was also Wood’s most recent start, a 3-2 win over the Mets on Aug. 26.
Solano is “doing better,” Kapler said, and doing personal workouts in the confines of his hotel room, working with SF’s strength coach on nutrition and conditioning.
The Giants reached the 85% vaccinated threshold in May. Solano’s positive test was a breakthrough case. Kapler declined to share whether Wood or Cueto are vaccinated; he likes to get permission from each individual to do so either way. In terms of contact tracing, Kapler said vaccinated players only need to be tested if they exhibit symptoms. Kevin Gausman and Evan Longoria recently hit the IL briefly due to effects following their vaccine booster shots.
On Monday, some players took the field with masks. Kapler said the team bus and plane rides featured more mask wearing than before this outbreak, and he plans to remind the team to be diligent before first pitch against the Brewers.
Despite vaccinations rising to over 60% among Americans, the delta variant has driven a surge in August in cases, hospitalizations, and death.
“We’re a very vaccinated group,” Kapler said. “I feel that while we’re at risk and exposed, just like every other club and the general population, I think we’re pretty good about taking care of this group and doing the right thing in the city and making good decisions to the best of our ability. We’re far from perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. But I think we’re a pretty diligent group.”
