Pirates confirm starting right fielder Gregory Polanco has tested positive for covid-19

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ starting lineup suffered a big blow with the announcement Gregory Polanco has tested positive for covid-19, which threatens to force the right fielder to miss the start of the season.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed the positive test Friday afternoon after receiving consent from Polanco to go public. Polanco had missed the past three days of practice at PNC Park for undisclosed reasons.

Shelton described Polanco as “doing well” and “upbeat,” despite being sidelined. Polanco is the third Pirates player to publicly consent to having a positive covid-19 test revealed, joining outfielder Socrates Brito and relief pitcher Blake Cederlind. Two other Pirates players, closer Keone Kela and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, have not practiced for undisclosed reasons since training camp started July 3 at PNC Park.

Both Shelton and starting pitcher Joe Musgrove said Polanco deserves credit for being forthright with the front office and coaching staff and staying away from his teammates to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.

“The protocol worked,” Shelton said. “I cannot speak highly enough about how Gregory went about it, that he protected his teammates because he put himself in a conversation where he let us know through the protocol, through the testing.

“He was not around anybody else and because of that, with getting a test and finding out that he was positive, I think it speaks to the testament of everything we’ve talked about since the beginning, of how good of a teammate he is.”

Musgrove said Polanco pulled himself out of a workout even though he didn’t feel sick or show symptoms.

“He said his throat was a little bit scratchy but, on any other day, he would normally just come to the park and he would’ve been fine,” Musgrove said. “But he was really cautious about it and really smart and decided to pull himself out of the workout, and he ended up saving a good amount of people from having to miss time.”

Musgrove said he texted Polanco on Friday morning, thanking him for being proactive and protecting his teammates.

“Just told him it sucks that you’re out, man, but we really appreciate you being honest and stepping forward and saying something, not just coming in and trying to stick it out,” Musgrove said. “Because we all know the type of guy that he is. He would be here in a heartbeat through any kind of illness or sickness. But he handled that really well, and he definitely saved a lot of our guys from missing time.”

Polanco must test negative twice for covid-19 — tests are administered to MLB players every other day — and pass an EKG and a physical exam before he can received clearance to return. The Pirates play a three-game exhibition series against Cleveland, starting Saturday at PNC Park, before opening the season at St. Louis next Friday.

If Polanco isn’t ready for the start of the season, Shelton said Guillermo Heredia is the likely replacement in right field. The Pirates brought only five outfielders to training camp, and Brito missed the first week after testing positive. They could call up a player from their alternate training site in Altoona, where they have three outfielders: Jason Martin, Jared Oliva and Travis Swaggerty.

Shelton said he and general manager Ben Cherington planned to meet Friday afternoon to discuss whether to place Polanco on the 10-day injured list.

“From there, we would have to talk through it,” Shelton said. “We’ve had different guys we bump, different guys into the outfield for work, but really don’t want to make that assumption until we get to the day before St Louis and we know what our roster is going to look like.”