CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 21: Kris Bryant #17 of the Chicago Cubs struck out during the second inning of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field on September 21, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
Amid the MLB’s COVID-19 testing crisis, Kris Bryant called out the league for being ill-prepared.
Several MLB teams, including the World Series champion Washington Nationals, have already dealt with the downside to the league’s COVID-19 testing policy, in that apparently they cannot guarantee a speedy diagnosis or clearance.
Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, at the forefront of MLB’s return to play initiative as one of the game’s greatest stars, voiced his concerns about the slow turnaround in testing results. Frankly, MLB has to better by its players or risk more animosity.
“I know there will be hiccups but you can’t have hiccups with this, Bryant said, via ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.”
Chicago Cubs third basemen called out MLB for COVID-19 testing issues.
Holiday weekend or not, Major League Baseball ought to have been better prepared for the initial wave of COVID-19 testing. By scrambling last-minute, Rob Manfred and MLB appear to be hanging on by a thread, making the likelihood of a season questionable at best.
Manfred self-imposed a 60-game season, which included health and safety precautions that the players agreed to through their representation, Tony Clark. What they couldn’t have predicted at the time, however, was the quick uptick in COVID-19 cases around the country, and the subsequent inability of MLB to handle the testing process more carefully. Quick, positive improvements must be made as soon as possible to avoid such doubt to take over the initial wave of optimism gained from having a season at all.
As Bryant suggests, hiccups were expected, but during these times of heightened awareness, the physical testing process needs to be nearly flawless for MLB. There is no ‘bubble’ for MLB players to participate in. Rather, they’ll be traveling from city to city and will continue to see their loved ones. Such an idea is good in nature, but can easily be turned on its head if not handled correctly.
So far, players have every right to be doubtful.