The Phillies and the 29 other Major League Baseball teams are set to report to "Summer Camp" this week. The Phillies spent the weekend doing inbound screenings of players, testing players for both COVID-19 active infections and antibodies. In light of that, the Phillies made four curious roster moves today, according to their transactions page.
In what was a surprise, the Phillies placed four players on the 10-day injured list:
- Right-handed reliever Tommy Hunter
- Right-handed reliever Hector Neris
- Infielder Scott Kingery
- Left-handed starter Ranger Suarez
There has not been an explanation for these transactions.
Could these moves be COVID-19 related?
Here's what we know:
- Due to "HIPAA" laws, the laws that prevent someone from disclosing a medical condition, the Phillies and other MLB teams cannot identify those affected by COVID-19
- There will be a "COVID List" in 2020 that allows players to come on and off a special injured list, should they be personally affected by the virus, come into contact with someone who had the virus, or exhibited any symptoms that could be the virus
- The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Tommy Hunter was among those who tested positive for COVID-19 in Clearwater, Florida
So if we are not able to know the names due to the HIPAA laws, will the transaction page reflect a traditional injured list transaction?
As Matt Gelb of the Athletic notes, there has been no official explanation from the Phillies for these moves. While the club cannot disclose an infection, players are free to on their own accord. Perhaps we will know more soon.
